Bela Fleck Rhapsody in Blue LP

TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the May/June 2024 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Over the last four decades, Béla Fleck has made a point of boldly going where no banjo player has gone before—a musical journey that has earned him 16 Grammy awards in nine different fields, including Country, Pop, Jazz, Instrumental, Classical and World Music. His newest project is no different, and yet, entirely original as Fleck expands and explores George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue by paying homage to the legendary composer while redefining an American classic just in time for its centennial.

Like his groundbreaking projects before, Rhapsody in Blue grew from seminal idea to fruition through Fleck's blend of inspiration, fearlessness, discipline and respect for the source material. In this case, the seed was planted during his childhood in New York City, when he first heard George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. His love for the piece only grew through the years, though his work on adapting the music began only recently, during the pandemic. Fortuitously, the album's release on February 12, 2024 coincides with the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue's premiere at Aeolian Hall in New York City.

Fleck's Rhapsody in Blue album includes three variations: "Rhapsody in Blue(grass)," "Rhapsody in Blue(s)," and the classic orchestration, but with banjo featured instead of piano, performed by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Eric Jacobsen. The set also features Gershwin's "Rialto Ripples" and "Unidentified Piece for Banjo," an unrecorded and unreleased gem discovered at the Library of Congress.

Fleck once again boldly takes the banjo well beyond the realms of bluegrass in tackling George Gershwin's enduringly popular Rhapsody in Blue. And the results are pulse-quickening.

Béla Fleck is arguably the greatest musician ever to play the banjo...Recommended for bluegrass lovers, Gershwin lovers, and, for that matter, listeners who are new to both.