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November 14, 2005
Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer, "Music for Two" live!
Just when I start thinking banjo wiz Bela Fleck must finally have reached the apex of technical virtuosity and musical creativity -- to where he can't possibly get any better -- he goes and does it on me. Bassist Edgar Meyer does the same thing. Case in point: Last night's "Music for Two" performance at the Mesa Arts Center.
Bela and Edgar have collaborated on numerous performing and recording projects in the past -- my favorite example is their 1997 "Uncommon Ritual," which also featured "one-man talent pool" Mike Marshall on mandolin. But the more they play, the better it gets. Last night's concert started out with a bluegrass-derived tune, the likes of which have always made up the core of Bela's repertoire -- but after that, they launched into an interesting arrangement of "Solar," a Miles Davis standard, followed by three of Bach's Two-Part Inventions.
It went on from there -- most of the material being from their "Music for Two" CD -- and included arrangements of works by Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn as well as their own tunes.
Fleck and Meyer have always displayed blistering technical chops -- but that would get boring after awhile, if it weren't for the fact that their technical brilliance is always in the service of the music they're playing. Bela played an unaccompanied solo on the second half -- it's probably on the CD, but I'm not sure -- that started off as a folk song, then drifted into Bach, then morphed back into the folk song, so seamlessly that you'd think it had been written that way. Edgar played a couple of phenomenal unaccompanied pieces as well. These two are as good by themselves as they are together, on any of the instruments they play (Bela played one tune on dobro and Edgar played a fair amount of piano from time to time).
Definitely an inspiring concert. As Meg observed on the way home, these guys demolish the idea that creative modern music has to be abstruse and unlistenable. You can't ask for more approachable stuff than "Music for Two," but it's material that isn't the least bit dumbed-down or commercialized. It's music that isn't just good, it sounds good.
(Adding to this entry on Friday, 11/18) The "Music for Two" CD comes with a bonus DVD featuring a documentary about Bela and Edgar's tour. It's a great behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in their rehearsals, on the band bus, and at live gigs. A lot of time is devoted to the genesis of Edgar's "Canon," which was premiered on the 2004 tour, is on the CD, and was played at Sunday night's gig in Mesa. The piece is a fiendishly difficult 15/8 canon at one measure, with Edgar starting and Bela imitating him. For two guys as technically adept as Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer, it taxes them to about the limit of what they can do -- I can't think of two other musicians who could bring the piece off, although I'm sure there are some.
The tour lasted several weeks, and although they started to get on each other's nerves at times (especially when "Canon" rehearsals weren't going well), the documentary gives us a fascinating look at these two guys and how they work together. It also contains some great close-up performance footage, with cameras that show the banjo and bass techniques right from the fingerboard. Among other things, we're also treated to a humorous duet between Edgar and Victor Wooten, both playing Edgar's bass simultaneously. Don't miss it!
Posted by Urbie at November 14, 2005 07:09 AM
Comments
No, what I said was it reaffirmed my belief that the honk/squeak faction can't play, don't practice and flunked theory. The Emperor has no clothes ;)
Posted by: Meg at November 14, 2005 01:36 PM
Whoops -- sorry I misquoted you. I'm not very functional today. It was all I could do to get us home in one piece, what with two coffee stops on the way back, so my recollection of the in-car discussion is less than perfect! :-\
Posted by: Urbie at November 14, 2005 01:49 PM