Renowned banjo player Béla Fleck has released “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)” from his forthcoming album Rhapsody in Blue, a tribute to the influential composer George Gershwin that expands and explores an American classic. Available February 12, a hundred years to the day, Gershwin premiered “Rhapsody in Blue” at Aeolian Hall in New York City.
“One day while on tour with My Bluegrass Heart, surrounded by these geniuses, a thought occurred to me – “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)?!” I kept the thought to myself, realizing it was either the greatest idea or possibly the very worst I had ever thought of,” Fleck admits. “But it wouldn’t go away. When we started to actually explore it, I realized that it actually sounded quite good. With the bluegrass version, we had the opportunity to stretch out, have some fun and make some different creative moves.”
Fleck is joined by his My Bluegrass Heart band: Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz and Bryan Sutton. Rhapsody in Blue also includes “Rhapsody in Blue(s)” with longtime Béla collaborators Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Victor Wooten, and the classic orchestration led by banjo instead of piano, performed by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Eric Jacobson.
The album also includes a solo banjo version of Gershwin’s “Rialto Ripples” and “Unidentified Piece for Banjo,” a previously unrecorded and unreleased gem discovered at the Library of Congress. “Unidentified Piece for Banjo” is out now. Give it a listen!
On May 4, 2024 at Carnegie Hall, Béla Fleck: Rhythm, Raga & Rhapsody will feature the New York premiere of “Rhapsody in Blue” performed with the Aeolian Orchestra, conducted by Eric Jacobsen. The multi-artist night also includes My Bluegrass Heart (Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton), tabla master Zakir Hussain, pianist Bruce Hornsby, and woodwind player Anat Cohen
Author: World Music Central News Room
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Tickets for the Carnegie Hall event on May 4th are on sale now via World Music Institute: https://www.worldmusicinstitute.org/bela-fleck-rhythm-raga-and-rhapsody/