February was another good month of music in Charleston as I took in four shows as an usher at the Music Hall. As usual, we had a variety of performances including Arlo Guthrie and Family and Eric Johnson and the original lineup from his breakout album, Au via Musicom.

However, the highlight of the month was a reunion show of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Trio. The trio includes Victor Wooten, bassist extraordinaire along with his brother, Roy ‘Future Man’ Wooten, a percussion wiz. The band formed in 1998 as a quartet and remained so for four years. The fourth performer in the lineup changed somewhat over the years but the constant was Bela Fleck on banjo, Victor on bass and ‘Future man’ on his percussion creations. This band is genre-defying as they often inhabit the jazz universe but meander in to the rock galaxy and tease the bluegrass senses.

I have seen Bela Fleck several times playing with other musicians and this was my first chance to see The Flecktones. Bela is a master banjo player, but not as you might expect. His note selection during the show enhanced the jazz universe that they occupied most of the evening. Bela plays the banjo like Clapton plays the guitar, commanding your attention as he picks notes both soft and ballistic.

Victor Wooten is an accomplished bass player who is in demand for his ability to add tone and depth to any composition. Victor’s playing can put some ‘meat on those bones’ to any song with his interpretations. All one has to do is to listen to his playing to understand that he is a much sought after musician.

His brother, Roy Wooten, is an inventor and artist. He has created the Drumitar, a percussion instrument that looks like a string instrument and is played by pushing buttons on the neck such as you would a saxophone. The sounds emanating from this instrument adds the percussion notes to the compositions that they played. In addition to the Drumitar, Futureman plays the Zendrum, the SynthAxe as well as the drums and other percussion instruments. Roy’s playing compliments his brother’s bass notes and Bela’s tasty lead banjo notes.

If you are fortunate enough to have these musicians come to your town, don’t expect a bluegrass performance. If the thought of a Jazz Banjo intrigues you, you will want to check out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. You will thank me for it!

#Flecktones #BelaFleck #JazzBanjo # DoYouBelieveInMagic