September 26, 2008
Volume 115 Issue 5
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The Sandspur
Behind the banjo with Béla Fleck J u s t i n b r au n & K e l ly M c n o l dy the sandspur HOW DID YOU COME TO PERFORM AT ROLLINS? They made the effort and invited me. I was really busy this season but I said yes because I don’t get to play solo very much. I want to learn to perform solo so it’s something that I’m not afraid of. WOULD YOU SAY THAT A PERFORMANCE LIKE TONIGHT WAS STEPPING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE? Yeah, a little bit. I almost did it like a workshop. It wasn’t quite so formal, like a recital. In informal performances, more natural things happen, things that I wasn’t expecting. Musicians, when playing in any kind of uncomfortable situations try to trick themselves into not being scared. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF YOUR STATUS AS A LEGEND? I don’t even know what to make of all of that. There are times when I bought into that more than what I do now. I just feel like I’m lucky to be able to do what I do. I understand how it happens because I have people that I look up to in that way. It’s like getting to play with Chick Corea, who’s a legend to me. It’s like transforming from a legend to a real person, a human being. I’m really serious about trying not to let myself have a big ego. HOW MANY PIECES DID YOU IMPROVISE ON TONIGHT? Less than I thought I was going to do because I was a little nervous. The more nervous I get the more unsure and less comfortable I am to improvise. When I play Bach I’m more of a technician…but as I played along with certain songs I thought hey, I’m going to take this a little bit longer, see what the neck would do. So I was slightly improvising but I was not as confident as I would be if I were to just improvise. WAS IT HARD BREAKING THE SOUTHERN STEREOTYPE OF THE BANJO? The more I would be myself, the more of a non-issue it seemed to be. It was fun to be a renegade. It’s the most natural thing in the world to play on the banjo. I like to think that I’m more of a renegade, I like the idea of being a renegade more than I really am.
Check out Rollins students being involved pages 6-7
Musical innovator Béla Fleck rocks Rollins with legendary recital J u s t i n b r au n & K e l ly M c n o l dy the sandspur
The Tiedtke Concert Hall buzzed with electric anticipation last Tuesday evening, filled to capacity with students, faculty, and patrons of the arts. Fashionably-late overflow attendees congregated on the porch and in an adjacent rehearsal room due to the liberal-arts sized venue, unable to contain the overwhelming number of fans. Casually taking the stage, bare except for two microphones, a chair, and an autographing table, legendary jazz banjoist Béla Fleck received thunderous applause from an enthusiastic audience. As he sat and prepared for performance, Fleck smiled at the crowd and said, “Wow.” Without further introduction, Fleck’s fingers began plucking with inconceivable speed. Instantly, the minds of all in attendance were blown by Fleck’s virtuosity. Unlike stereotypical banjo music heard in movies and television, Fleck emanated brilliantly warm, dark tones from the instrument in his lap, a 1937 Gibson flathead banjo, just like the one legendary banjoist innovator Earl Scruggs used to play. “No one’s ever equaled the sound of this banjo,” said Fleck, educating the audience partway through his workshoplike performance. “There’s richness to it. It’s not as sharp as the banjos they make these days.” At the beginning of the concert Fleck appeared nervous, focusing his gaze primarily on his banjo. The tension soon broke as Fleck became more comfortable as the center of attention, smiling and flicking his head with dissonant notes he produced and making little quips between his first few songs. It felt like the awkward beginning of a first date, but melted into a playful atmosphere with an incredibly satisfying finale. The musical conversation gained depth as the evening progressed, with fleck revealing his down-toearth nature, making personal connections with the 300 plus in attendance. “Usually I’m playing with the Flecktones and I can hide behind them, but here, well, I
can see you. I mean you, you’re right there,” said Fleck, pointing to a Rollins student who was front and center. At times clearly improvising, Fleck explored the genres of classical, bluegrass and jazz tunes by John Hardy and Ralph Stanley, and even contemporary songs from the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. In between pieces, Fleck took questions and requests from the audience, which ranged from music aficionados attempting to prove their vast eclectic knowledge to a young child asking what it was like to play in front of everybody. Fleck cleverly replied, “It’s scary, actually…I rarely play solo, so it’s five times more exciting for me than it is for you.” Typical of when audiences are encouraged to ask questions and make requests, “Freebird” was requested not once, but twice, and both times it Andrew cohen/ the sandspur was laughed off by INSPIRED: The world’s premiere banjo player Béla Fleck came to Rollins to jam Fleck. However, with students, give presentations and perform. He brought students, faculty and when “Over the the community together for an amazing performance. Rainbow” was requested, Fleck gave it a go and permutated living there, it was not a normal musical journey tracing the and harmonized it flawlessly. sound for me,” said Fleck. “My origin of the banjo throughout several countries, the film “I never tried that before,” he mind was blown.” A couple of decades followed Fleck as he connected said and after a pause, he added later, Fleck had the honor with African musicians in “That was cruel.” After improvising a 1920’s of re-recording the “Beverly creative jam sessions where the rag piece entitled “Flapperette,” Hillbillies” theme song with the modern world of music met the diverse percussive traditions of Fleck gave the audience a history original vocalist. “They had some L.A. Africa. lesson on the banjo. “Back in When an audience member the late 1800’s, everybody used studio vocalist do the singing to play the banjo,” he said, and not Buddy Ebsen because asked Fleck how the typical “the women would sit in their they didn’t want it to sound too Flecktones song was composed, parlors and entertain with Bach. southern,” said Fleck. “I didn’t he humorously said “It usually Now it has this white southern want anybody else to re-record happens during sound check,” stereotype and I hope I can crack the theme because I didn’t want said Fleck, “I usually just start them to screw it up. Bluegrass playing something and hope that stereotype.” Fleck described his average has a lot of class when it’s played they notice it and if not I just write something else.” Ask Northern upbringing, revealing right.” Another big topic of the anyone in attendance that that he first encountered the banjo through an episode of the night was Fleck’s documentary night in the Tiedtke Concert “Throw Down Your Heart,” Hall, the playfully innovative “Beverly Hillbillies.” “I was five or six years old which he had shown the night improvisational skills of Fleck and living in Queens, NY, and before. An emotionally-charged were definitely noticed by all.