Bela Fleck & The Flecktones – The Hidden Land
Classifying the music of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones has always made for some interesting arguments. The band features a banjo, so it must be country, or is it folk? But hold the phone, the tempo and structure of many of Fleck’s songs lend credibility to those who contend this is a jazz quartet. Ask the legions of jam-band fans who include Fleck in their multi-city migrations, and they may say that Fleck is Trey Anastasio with a banjo.
On The Hidden Land, Fleck and his bandmates –Jeff Coffin on woodwinds, Victor Wooten on bass, and Future Man on percussion — the jazz arguments are likely to win out. Much of the album calls to mind modern jazz works by the likes of Michael Brecker or Chick Corea. Coffin’s flute on “Rococo” and clarinet on “Who’s Got Three” demonstrate his impressive range. “Kaleidoscope” recalls some of Chuck Mangione’s more commercial material, with Coffin’s saxophone replacing Mangione’s flugelhorn.
Throughout, Fleck keeps things centered, wielding his banjo in directions the instrument wasn’t originally envisioned to go. On “Subterfuge (Bond)”, he manipulates his instrument to sound more like an electric guitar. Banjo purists will appreciate the more traditional approach on the final track, “The Whistle Tune”.