By Jim Stanford on December 18, 2009
Victor Wooten plucks a mind-bending solo from The Nutracker Suite. Wooten spoke warmly of visiting the Tetons. Photo by David Stubbs. Click to enlarge.
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones gave a performance last night at Center for the Arts that was absolutely spellbinding.
Their fingers fluttering like hummingbird wings, Fleck and his mates took the audience on a ring-ting-jingling sleigh ride through medleys of Christmas carols and country favorites, mixing genres and riffing freely in a show that often was more jazz than bluegrass.
The banjo maestro was accompanied by Victor Wooten, the rootinest, tootinest bassist in the universe; Roy Wooten, aka “Future Man,” on percussion; Jeff Coffin, saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band; and guest fiddler Casey Driessen, who last summer had ripped up the Targhee Bluegrass Fest.
The players performed like musical acrobats, displaying mesmerizing dexterity on their respective instruments and even huddling to pluck a string or sound a note from each other’s. They spoke fluently in many languages. Victor Wooten, for instance, played the sounds of a harp and drums on his bass during a “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies” jam that left mouths agape.
The Flecktones’ interpretations of Christmas classics rang as faint echoes in a forest of improvisation. Every now and then the abstract instrumentals would touch down on familiar ground like the rat-tat-tat of “A Little Drummer Boy.”
And then there were the bluegrass hits, like “Big Country,” which in another time and place would have had the crowd on its feet, stomping and spinning. Coffin blew his trademark two saxes at once during “Throwdown Hoedown.” A massive “Sleeper” rocked with strains of “All Along the Watchtower.” The band played two sets with an encore, dispelling any doubt of growing soft with age.
Bela and Victor get down to business.
It’s a testament to the power of this music that even in the constrained confines of the Center theater — the audience sat motionless, save for head bobs and toe tapping — one could feel completely set free.
While every player flexed muscle, Béla’s hypnotic banjo stood out as transcendental. He closed the second set with a solo medley, astounding that one man could evoke so much feeling with his fingers on strings.
For many in the audience, the wondrous experience was unexpected; arts center patrons snapped up tickets, and it was only in the hours leading up to the show that some of the hardcore fans snagged a seat. The ticket price – $50 to $75 – was a barrier hard to overcome. (Think of it as a music tax; if we don’t pay it every now and then, the flow of this caliber music to Jackson may cease.)
It was no surprise to see Andy Calder, who knows a thing or two about bass, watching one of his heroes in Victor Wooten. Calder called Wooten’s playing “otherworldly … he’s got fireworks and also defines groove.”
Rich Anderson, one of the community’s more well-schooled connoisseurs, wore a look of delight. “The thing that blows me away is how much fun those guys obviously have,” he said. “It was incredible, just jaw-dropping virtuosity but also just laughing, smiling the entire concert.”
The Center’s overseers, still a little stiff in the collar, have struggled to match the right artists for the atmosphere and price. On this night, they struck just the right note.
Jeff Coffin and Future Man push the boundaries of exploration.
Photos © 2009 by David Stubbs and Jackson Hole Underground.
amazing show, awesome review Jim
the show was amazing they made magic every time they touched the strings. and the drumatar…. To bad there was no standing room.