Search - Bela Fleck :: Live Art

Near Perfection.

05/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't care who you are or what kind of music you listen to, this CD will simply blow you away. I have been lucky enough to see The Flecktones in concert and I can honestly say, these two disks perfectly capture their live sound and feel. The musicianship is absolutly top knotch. I thought I knew what good bass playing was until I heard Victor. There's no doubt in my mind that he is the worlds most knowledgeable and innovative bassist. Just listen to his solo in Sinister Minister. You'll never find a better (or nicer) bass player. And Bela, his furious runs up and down scales and uncanny ability to play exactly the right note at exactly the right time is unmatched. These two, along with a slew of other unbelievable muscians, come together in perfect sink to pull of these amazing and, at times very emotional tunes. I'd recommend this to any one who has ears!"

BUY THIS ALBUM AND GO TO A SHOW!

Andrew Kim | Minneapolis, MN United States | 09/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Where do I even start? This is as good as live albums get. This captures the energy and fun of a Flecktones show perfectly. The cuts on here contain some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard in my life. New South Africa opens the disc with a melody that is executed in such a buoyant manner that it can seemingly lift you into a good mood. The musical interplay between the band (and equally skilled guests) is displayed with the very next and rousing playful track, Stomping Grounds.The album just gets better from there. With incomprehensibly complex songs like UFO TOFU, a bit of Beatles fun with Oh! Darling (which features jaw dropping vocals from John Cowan), Sam Bush ripping it up on the violin on Big Foot, and amazing solos by bass God, Victor Wooten, and Bela Fleck, this album has much to offer.Guests like Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Paul McCandless, Bush and others also show how well the Flecktones challenge themselves and how ego free the band is.There are wonderful melodies that are technically and emotionally superb all across these two discs. All you have to do is listen to Sinister Minister to understand just how good this band is. This is toe-tapping, hum along music that covers almost every kind of music imaginable. Your mouth will be agape when it isn't smiling. This is one of the greatest albums ever from one of the best bands out there today."

The Best CD Of The Decade

Matthew Bush | 05/02/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I believe this to be the best CD ever produced. For a while I would listen to it every single day of my life. Track 3 of Disc 1 (Stomping Grounds) is particularly amazing, along with the Track 1 of Disc 2(Improv/Amazing Grace), which is a bass solo by Victor Wooten. One would think that almost 7 minutes of just one guy playing an electric bass would start to get redundant, but it never does, Wooten (as well as every other musician) has mastered his instrument in a manner which is rarely seen in the musical world these days. Even though I love the studio CDs produced by Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, the energy and power of the music pale in comparison to the energy generated by the live performances. If you purchase one Jazz or Bluegrass CD from the 1990s, this is the one to buy!"