Béla Fleck and the Flecktones will perform at Lebanon Opera House on Sunday, June 5, 2016.

Some say Béla Fleck is the premiere banjo player of the world. Others claim that Béla has virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo through a remarkable career that has taken him all over the musical map. If you are familiar with Béla, you know that he just loves to play the banjo; and he plays the banjo in unique settings throughout the world.

In 1988, Béla connected with the Flecktones, and 28 years later they still love to play together. In the first 15 years they played nonstop. Now, they regularly take time away to do other projects, but still come back together every few years - to share their musical energy, history, and friendship.

Over the years, there have been several changes to the band, but the constants have been Victor Lemonte Wooten on bass, Future Man on drumitar, and Béla on banjo. Howard Levy completed the original lineup back in 1988 at their inauguration and for their first three albums. Howard left the band back in 1993, and the others continued on as trio. This year, Howard is together with them once again.

Far from being a wistful trip back in time, the Grammy Award-winning quartet performs some of the most forward thinking music of their long, storied career. While all manners of genres come into play - from classical and jazz to bluegrass and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk dances - the result is an impossible to pigeonhole sound all their own, a meeting of musical minds that remains, as ever, utterly indescribable. Simply put, it is The Flecktones, the music made only when these four individuals come together.

The performance is a benefit for COVER Home Repair, an Upper Valley non-profit organization dedicated to building community and fostering hope through cooperation and fellowship among all home repair and reuse participants. Seats for the 7:30 pm show are $84, $69, $58, $47. Tickets can be purchased at Lebanon Opera House Box Office in person or via phone 603-448-0400. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.lebanonoperahouse.org.

For more information on COVER Home Repair, visit: http://www.coverhomerepair.org/.


Posted 5/13/16