Artist Béla Fleck And The Flecktones

The appeal of banjo master Béla Fleck cuts across multiple genres: His eclectic output ranges from progressive bluegrass to progressive jazz to progressive hippie noodling to straight-up Bach. At times, he goes beyond eclecticism and into outright goofiness, but his willingness to explore unusual terrain has made him a superstar in certain circles and netted him 12 Grammys. (Plus, he holds the odd record of having been nominated in nine different categories.) In 2008, he explored the African roots of the banjo in the documentary Throw Down Your Heart, and in 2009 collaborated with tabla player Zakir Hussain as well as frequent partner Edgar Meyer (a Curtis Institute Of Music double-bass professor) on the classical album The Melody Of Rhythm. 

Updated 02/22/2012