Bela Fleck comes back to bluegrass on two-disc album
A 15-time Grammy Award winner, banjo master Bela Fleck excels in such a dizzying array of styles — from bluegrass, folk and jazz to classical, country and world music — that it was fitting when he named “Vertigo” the opening number on his captivating new album, “My Bluegrass Heart.” Then, reality threw him an unexpected curve ball.
“I actually got vertigo after writing the song, which was not fun,” Fleck said. “I thought it was a funny song name, but it’s not funny anymore.”
He chuckled wryly at the memory of his thankfully short-lived vertigo experience. “I only had it once, for about a week.”
As knotty in melodic and rhythmic construction as its title suggests, “Vertigo” kicks off Fleck’s first bluegrass album in 20 years.
The two-disc “My Bluegrass Heart” is dedicated to guitarist Tony Rice and jazz composer Chick Corea, who passed away in December 2020 and February 2021 respectively. He collaborated with each and still pinches himself that he did.
“I couldn’t have wanted anything more, or thought it more unlikely,” said Fleck. “And to get to play as much and to become the kind of friends we became and get to play as much as we did is one of the great joys of my life.”
“My Bluegrass Heart” features an array of Fleck’s longtime musical partners, including Tony Trischka, David Grisman, Edgar Meyer and Jerry Douglas.
What makes “My Bluegrass Heart” doubly notable is that it also showcases such rising young instrumental stars as guitarists
Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, mandolinist Sierra Hull and violinist Michael Cleveland. The multigenerational lineup provides a vital musical continuum on an album that celebrates the skill and imagination of its participants.
“I had a lot of the tunes for a long time and was trying to figure out who should play on this and who should play on that,” Fleck said.
“Then I started earmarking specific things. So, when I knew Billy and Sierra were coming to record, I thought: ‘I have to give them something for their personalities to shine through on.’ So, I added more to those tunes, I needed to make sure it was challenging for those guys in the right way.”
Had all gone according to plan, Rice would also have performed on “My Bluegrass Heart.” The recording of the album was completed just prior to the pandemic shutdown.
But Rice was a no-show, largely because of his failing health. Fleck, who had envisioned Rice as a key contributor to the album, was understandably dismayed. His spirits lifted after he pivoted to Bryan Sutton, a nine-time
International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year honoree who has performed on albums by Taylor Swift, Eric Church and more.
Fleck’s artistic scope long ago transcended bluegrass. But it is still one of his early musical foundations, even if he has turned away from it for extended periods to pursue other stylistic approaches.
The music on “My Bluegrass Heart” is crafted to celebrate the genre’s traditions at the same time it twists and extends them. That combination of reverence and daring, of pushing forward while saluting the past, has long been one of Fleck’s trademarks.
“My goal to take the bluegrass out of banjo and the banjo out of bluegrass has gone pretty well,” said Fleck, who is married to fellow banjo ace Abigail Washburn. “And I’ve been able to make a living and keep my idealistic view about the music I make, which I consider to be a pretty resounding success.
“I feel very, very fortunate and still love what I get to do. But with bluegrass, we all come back to it. You have it in your blood, and you want to come back to it.”