I’ve been to two concerts at the State Theater in downtown Kalamazoo.  The first was in October 2007 when I saw Modest Mouse with Man Man.  Talk about a terrible show.  This year, however, I was graced with a free ticket to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.  The Flecktones are one of my favorite bands and probably my favorite act to see live, although most of their audience tends to be an annoying breed of yuppie-hippy hybrid.  Despite that, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is the most revolutionary, and perhaps the most unappreciated band of the last two decades.

The Banjo-Blazer Himself

The concert began with a newer number.  The four familiar members of the band took the stage in a modest sort of lighting which suggested that they were comfortable enough with their ill-begotten appearances to know that they’re amazing musicians.  The awkwardness was clear, the audience didn’t even know if they should applaud, a rudimentary action when any headlining act takes the stage.  When the music began, however, all doubt about the protocol was removed.

Bela Fleck, chief songwriter and banjo player, blazed up and down his fretboard in a prototypical finger picking style that would leave most competent acoustic guitar players in the dust.  On his right stood Victor Wooten, who has been named the Best Jazz Bassist of all time by several reputable music publications.  The honor is warranted; typically, a six or seven minute segment of the Flecktones’ set is devoted to a solo from Wooten, who almost always receives a standing ovation afterwards.  Across the stage stands Victor Wooten’s brother, who is known simply as Futureman for his eccentric appearance and even more peculiar instrument.  Futureman plays a self-invented instrument called a Drumitar, a box-like instrument with a long neck and colorful buttons which produce the noises of a drumset.  Futureman also plays alongside a regular drumset, which he sometimes plays with one hand and the Drumitar with the other.  His style is necessarily unique because the band often plays in complex time signatures.  The final member of the band is Jeff Coffin, a virtuoso horn player who often puts two saxophones in his mouth to perform his own harmonies.  Coffin, although his talent is perhaps the most often demonstrated in the band’s lengthy compositions, is probably the least interesting guy to watch.  When you have the best bass and banjo players in the world standing next to each other along with an instrument that you can’t really wrap your mind around, you tend to ignore the tenor saxophone.

Alash

After the intermission, the Flecktones brought to the stage a band called Alash from the small Republic of Tuva, a region located in south-central Siberia.  Alash was less a “band” than a collection of Tuvan musicians who excelled at their traditional folk instruments and vocal techniques, the latter of which was an impressive combination of throat-singing and overtones which sounded like vey high pitched whistling.  The concept isn’t unfamiliar to the West, just not very well known: large male acapella groups often have implicit overtones.  Alash played three songs alone and a couple songs with the Flecktones, including a Tuvan-American rendition of Jingle Bells.  Their presence with the Flecktones, the band which the audience paid to see, is a testament to Bela Fleck’s insistence on surrounding himself with the most talented and interesting musicians in the world.  One of these Tuvan musicians also appears on the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones’ DVD Live at the Quick, along with a protégé steel-drummer and an Indian drummer who participates in a percussion-banjo duel.  Definitely worth checking out.

The set was about 150 minutes long and incredible to watch, although about half of it was traditional Christmas music Flecktones-style.  Despite cat-calls from the audience and some awkward moments (I really don’t like the fact that the State serves alcohol), Bela Fleck and the Flecktones performed with their usual and distinctive abilities.  The band tours extensively, so if you have the chance, you should check them out.

For tour dates and other information, see http://www.flecktones.com/.

For Alash, see http://www.alashensemble.com/.