Bela Fleck, Flecktones - Outbound
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Free Music Notes for Outbound
Free Music Review: Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
Hit: 5 Stars
My introduction to the Flecktones. A perfect introduction; well, almost.
Somehow, over the years, jazz has managed to fuse with every kind of music imaginable. First, jazz was born incorporating with blues and ragtime. Over the years, popular music was tied in with jazz, then later on, Dave Brubeck managed to incorporate classical influences with jazz, and this so called "chamber jazz" was born.
Then as jazz was growing more and more, becoming even more complex, out of the blue rock was somehow fused with jazz, and then we had fusion. Afro Cuban influences created latin jazz, and later on even hip-hop, R&B, and pop was mixed with jazz.
But something Bela Fleck created all himself was the birth of Bluegrass coming together with jazz. And the thing I found out is that I actually like bluegrass, in an instrumental setting of course.
When I first heard this, I was like, man I don't like bluegrass music, and all this R&B sappy singing. But as a listened to the whole album non-stop in the car taking a drive through the beach, I really listened to Bela and the rest of the musicians. What conversations! This is true musicianship.
One reviewer said there is just too many musicians with different backgrounds. Sure, it doesn't work sometimes, but here? Bluegrass, jazz, very progressive stuff! It works. Granted some of the tracks aren't my cup of tea, probaly the two numbers with lead vocal parts, but I'm sure I will come to like them. I'm wondering if he/she did not take the time to fully listen to the music. This band has opened up my life, and it is very spiritual to me, not in the sense of religion; well maybe, but a religion totaly musical. Better than anything else, this music is just fantastic.
Hoedown is the perfect introduction to this wonderful disk. It just sets the mood so much. Such ironic music to be brought into a jazz setting, but it works. The banjo is just magnificent, when not bombarded with just awful stale lyrics about how some guy's women left him.
Zona Mona, so great, my first Flektones track I ever heard which made me get this release. Future Man, I wish he played real drums. I am a drummer and when I go to the shows I like to watch other drummers for enjoyment. But as for the recordings, the synth-axe drumitar is actually quite warm, and if I ever learn how that contraption works, I would sure love to learn how to play that thing!
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, such a unique group. When I'm looking for jazz to listen to.....as for modern music, I don't wanna hear cats just swinging in 4/4. I need the music to be different, and unlike anything I have ever heard, and Pat Metheny and Bela Fleck's Flecktones seem to deliver that special brand of jazz to me, the best of them all. I will sure be looking foward to all the upcoming Flecktones releases, and will be with this band for many more years to come!
Free Music Review: New styles, new plateau for Flecktones
Hit: 5 Stars
"Left of Cool", the Flecktones' last release, featured a more versatile style than they had previously shown. It contained far more than the bluegrass/jazz style that had been the hallmark of the Flecktones' early releases. Incorporating pop vocals from Royel (and backup from Dave Matthews and Amy Grant), it gave the Flecktones a more eclectic sound, drawing inspiration from many worldwide sources. Unfortunately, the album failed to 100% meet the musical challenge. Royel's vocals were a bit forced and tended to make me cringe, and the various cuts of the album were more thrown together than forming a cohesive sound. While "Left of Cool" did prove to be a good and interesting album, Flecktones did not quite sound comfortable with their new style. No longer. "Outbound" is a complete triumph in every area where "Left of Cool" sounded tentative. The vocal style, a far cry from the somewhat naïve approach of the previous album, is polished, professional and profound. The integration of disparate styles is succesful as never before. The album's sound has a definite direction and theme while incorporating the pop vocal styles of "A Moment So Close" to the jam band sound of "Earth Jam" to the indian folk feel of "Shuba Yatra." "Outbound" is the Flecktones most revolutionary, most complex, yet most accessible album to date. Old Flecktone fans will doubtless appreciate the evolution of the band into its present stylistic form; for those new to the sound of the Flecktones, this is THE album to get.Free Music Review: And just when you thought they couldn't get any better...
Hit: 5 Stars
I can't believe the musical diversity and variety in this album - I just can't believe it. Every single song is something new and different. From a cover of an Aaron Copland song, Hoe Down (which is amazing), to what sounds like a fairly normal pop song on first listen...until you discover that it's in 7/8 time, and you marvel at how they made it sound good (Aimum), to a song that alternates a funk riff in 4/4, played on a sax through a wah-wah pedal, with a beautiful banjo melody in 17/16, or I suppose 8.5/8 (Scratch & Sniff), to a showcase of Jeff's ability to play two saxes at once (Earth Jam), and on down the list, this album is a completely exceptional musical experience, through and through. I must say, though, that with all the variety on the album, the best is Moment So Close. I can't understand why, but it has me hooked. There are five separate and distinct musical themes in the song, most of them in different keys, yet somehow it all holds together. I particularly love the round section, where the guest vocalists and guest horn players along with FutureMan and Jeff all play/sing variations on the same melodies, slightly altered, in a round form. It is so rich and interesting.
I really just don't understand how this stuff is possible. The Flecktones are incredible - music simply cannot get any better than these guys.
Free Music Review: The 5 Stars
I've been a Fleck fan for many years, back to the NGR days. When Bela headed out with this wild idea of the Flecktones, I went along with it and immediately went wild. Over the course of the next several years, I was lucky enough to catch several live performances and was never disappointed. With Outbound, I was especially curious to hear the opening track (Hoedown) because Copeland is my favorite classical composer. WOW, did they do it right or what? I was knocked out by the arrangement and also by the collection of artists on the CD. Everything on this disc is just awesome and I was pleased to be in the second row when the Flecktones came to my small town. I was shocked when all the studio musicians from Outbound showed up on stage (and knew I was in for a treat even if they didn't play any classic Flecktone tunes). It was incredible how tight the band was with all these guys that don't generally tour a lot! Fleckheads know how tight the foursome is but this was 8 or 9 guys playing like one. And when they played Hoedown, I thought I might just pass out. It was undoubtedly the most exciting musical performance I have ever witnessed! If you like Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and you don't have this CD, you're missing out on some great music!!Free Music Review: Can You Explain It?
Hit: 5 Stars
Somehow, although this reviewer has yet to understand it, the Flecktones still remain mostly unknown. In my circle of friends, there are everyday bands and musician's bands (the ones that really appeal to those in the know). Bela & Co. definitely fall into the latter, which may explain their lack of MAJOR notoriety.Outbound should be the album to break them big. Much like Santana's Supernatural, the Flecktones called in their friends (although they called on the talent in all cases and not just the name) to join them in making this album. The end result is something well worth your hard-earned money and time: an excellent record. In fact, with amazing interpretations of Aaron Copeland (Hoedown), jazz-rap fusion (A Moment So Close), and the (dare I say it?) Grateful Dead-like Earth Jam, the question still remains. How can a band this good, with so much talent, not be more well known?
The answer is simple: Banjo music reminds people of Deliverance and poor Ned Beatty. The trick is to wear suspenders and go see the Flecktones live. Be sure to take your copy of Outbound and see if you can grab an autograph from the band you SHOULD know!