Liner Notes: The Reunion of 'Bela Fleck and the Flecktones'

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IT'S BEEN NEARLY 18 years since Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' founding lineup has toured together, so you might think there would be some profound reason for their reunion.

In reality, the logic couldn't be more mundane.

With saxophonist Jeff Coffin busy touring with Dave Matthews Band, the rest of the group — banjo virtuoso Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten and percussion wizard Futureman — realized they weren't ready to get off the road. Rather than tour as a trio (the lineup for 1993's "Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"), Fleck asked founding Flecktone Howard Levy, who left the group after 1992's "UFO Tofu," to make his long overdue return.

"There was a fun potential to get into some different music," Fleck said via e-mail, of Coffin's absence. "Howard was the first person we wanted to explore playing with."

The original Flecktones reunion commenced with two weeks in Europe, and the band makes its U.S. return at Strathmore on Nov. 18 — one of only five dates stateside before Coffin rejoins the group in December for its semi-annual holiday tour.

Levy, a jazz-harmonica master who's also proficient at piano, synthesizers and various percussive instruments, originally left the group after three albums because he found the band structure — even one as adventurous and experimental as the Flecktones — limiting.

"It's like a totally different energy," Fleck said of playing with Levy. "Howard brings a wild-card element, especially since we haven't heard him play for so long. He is a very serious musician."

The reunion shows have offered the outfit, which meshes bluegrass, jazz, funk, world music and more, a chance to revisit some of its oldest songs.

"Playing our earlier music put everything in a different light," Fleck said. "I think everyone has improved as musicians. You can really feel the difference when you play something that you used to do a lot. It's easier now! We are loving that."

Considering Fleck's in a revisionist mode, we asked him to take a look back at the Flecktones' classic debut recording, "Bela Fleck and the Flecktones" (1990), which earned the group its first Grammy nomination, and give us a track-by-track commentary.

"Sea Brazil"
For me and the banjo, this seemed like an interesting direction. The rhythmic qualities of Brazilian music fit it well, and combine well with the bluegrass and fusion musics that are referenced.

"Frontiers"
Howard is playing the Jew's Harp at the beginning, [giving the song a worldly feel].

"Hurricane Camille"
I was trying to write a classic type of jazz tune here, basically a fast jazz blues. We all love jazz so much that we were excited to be swinging fast.

"Half Moon Bay"
I have never been to Half Moon Bay, but driving by and seeing the road sign when I was touring through northern California, I always thought it was a very evocative name for a place, and brought up a mood that I tried to approximate on my banjo.

"The Sinister Minister"
We felt like we really had something with this tune. We were able to get a video done when the record was out, and it really helped to launch the group. It didn't hurt that Victor would do an insane bass solo at the live gigs, and end with a back-flip or slinging the instrument around his neck. I wrote it on a strange trip to Paraguay, where I was on a celebrity fishing show! The local music was simple but very inspiring.

"Sunset Road"
Evoking feeling is what music is all about. I was attracted to this melody and feel because it was so different from other music I had played on banjo, and really evoked a black gospel sort of feel. At the time I could barely get through the solo; now, I feel very comfortable playing on this progression. We wanted to do a video on this tune, but couldn't convince the label to go for it.

"Flipper"
I liked the idea of a musical cue that the soloist needed to play to signal the other players to switch chords, or launch a device. This keeps everyone on their toes, and no one can drift. Once again, we were excited to play fast jazz.

"Mars Needs Women: Space is a Lonely Place"
"Mars Needs Women: They're Here"
These are pieces that I always saw as connected, but they actually don't share any of the same music.

"Reflections of Lucy"
This was a progression that I wrote on the banjo. I invited Howard to try to write a melody to go over it, and I suggested something along the lines of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." Eventually I realized that that tune actually fit over the progression perfectly. We simply paid publishing to The Beatles.

"Tell It to the Gov'nor"
The computer can do a lot that we can't do in real life, but the human element [of Levy playing these synthesizer-like sounds] is the one that makes you really want to listen.

» Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda; Wed., Nov. 18, $25 to $48; 301-581-5100. (Grosvenor-Strathmore)

Photo courtesy Kid Logic PR