Bela Fleck returning to bluegrass roots in Iowa City

Bela Fleck, an artist who has raised the banjo to new heights across the musical spectrum, is getting back to his roots with his “My Bluegrass Heart” tour, coming to the Englert Theatre in Iowa City on Tuesday night, July 11, 2023.

The 2021 album of the same name marks his latest Grammy win, taking Best Bluegrass Album honors in 2022. That brings his career total to 15 Grammy wins and 36 nominations, beginning with a Grammy in a country category in 1987, and moving through composition, contemporary jazz, producer of spoken word for children, world music, pop, bluegrass, pop, classical, folk, American roots, historical and bluegrass categories.

In a 2002 Cedar Rapids concert, Fleck wove classical stylings into his music, evoking a harpsichord sound from his instrument.

He’s well aware of the kinship between banjo and harpsichord, two stringed instruments emerging from Africa and Europe, respectively, around the 17th century.

“Yes, I do hear that similarity,” Fleck said via email from his home in Nashville. “And in fact, when I had my album out, called ‘Perpetual Motion,’ many people wondered what the instrument was that was playing the classical pieces on it, I guess because they didn’t expect the banjo to sound like that. Remember that a harpsichord is like a plucked piano, and a banjo is kind of like a plucked lap piano.”

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Finding his groove

Named for Hungarian composer and pianist Bela Bartok, innovative Austrian composer Anton Webern and Czech composer and folklorist Leos Janacek, Bela Anton Leos Fleck seemed destined to a life in music.

“I got my names from my father, but he wasn’t around when I was a kid,” Fleck said. “In fact, I didn’t meet him until I was in my 40s, but I was very much in a musical family, since my brother and I both loved music passionately and my stepfather was a cellist.”

He and his brother listened to the Beatles; progressive jazz rock bands like Yes; and jazz fusion bands like Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra.

“But we loved everything,” he said.

Now 64, Fleck became enamored with the banjo in his youth, hearing the “The Beverly Hillbillies” television theme song.

“It was just the sound of the banjo that got me — it got me so deep. Earl Scruggs had a way of turning on activated banjoists,” he said. “I don’t think I was attracted to the country or hillbilly side of it. Just the sound of the banjo fascinated and excited me.”

At age 15, the New York City native received a banjo from his grandfather, and on his train ride home, a gentleman seated nearby suggested he get a copy of Pete Seeger’s banjo instruction book, “How to Play the Five-String Banjo.”

Fleck began studying banjo in earnest and credits his instructor with setting the example for infusing bluegrass with jazz, classical and rock sounds.

“My banjo teacher, Tony Trischka, was experimenting with a lot of these ideas and kind of built a template for some of the things that I have gone on to do,” Fleck said. “He’s quite a special musician, and I love him as a person, as well. He certainly set the stage.”

His educational path took him to the “Fame” high school in New York City, where he met other teens who shared his artistic aspirations, if not his love of banjo.

“Finding folks like me wasn’t that hard, because everybody was quite different, quite unique, and except when it came to the bluegrass banjo part of it, we were very much in sync,” he said. “My friends really couldn’t relate to the banjo thing, but they could relate to the creativity thing.

“After school, I found musicians to play with, and traveled to play with them and developed friendships among the best musicians I could find, and these became my peers. …

“Then, when I joined bands, it was always progressive bluegrass bands. They were trying to push the music to new places, such as new grass revival. Meanwhile, I worked on my jazz chops in the closet, and when I started playing with Victor Wooten and Howard Levy (in Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), I whipped them out.”

Back to home base

His latest project has brought him full circle.

“I do love bluegrass, and for a bluegrass musician like myself, you have to come back and touch home base every once in a while,” he said. “It was just time for me. And coming back to bluegrass was so comfortable and joyful, I guess I had forgotten how much I loved it.”

Fleck’s Iowa City audience will hear a musical mix honed during his long and storied career.

“This concert will feature some of the greatest players on the scene these days. We’ll be featuring a lot of the music from ‘My Bluegrass Heart’ and also some traditional music — because we’ve got to,” he exclaimed.

Joining him onstage will be what he called “a stepped lineup,” featuring Sierra Hull on mandolin, Bryan Sutton on guitar, Micheal Cleveland on fiddle, Justin Moses on dobro, banjo and fiddle, and Mark Schatz on bass.

Inspirations and aspirations

“I go in and out of listening to music these days,” Fleck said. “My mentor Chick Corea used to say sometimes you’re inputting and sometimes you’re outputting, and I guess when I’m creating music, I don’t wanna be listening to other people’s music. But when I’m feeling a little bit dry and I need new information to get my fires burning again, that’s when I start doing a lot of listening, and that’s the inputting side. (Corea) was a smart guy.”

When Fleck does tune in to new music, his favorite artists come from the realms of jazz, classical, pop, world and bluegrass.

“There’s lots of great musicians out there these days,” he said.

His collaborations are equally diverse, from violinists Joshua Bell and Jean-Luc Ponty to percussionist Evelyn Glennie and tabla player Zakir Hussain.

“I guess it’s part of my mission to open up people’s perceptions of what a banjo can do,” Fleck said. “Plus, I just love interacting with great musicians and learning from them.”

One of those favorite musicians is his wife, Abigail Washburn, whose style varies from his. They’ve joined forces on the road, too, performing together at the Englert on Feb. 24, 2015.

“We have a blast together — personal level and a musical level,” he said. “We’re both ripplers with different techniques to ripple with. I’m a bluegrass player with three finger pics. She’s a claw hammer player who uses her fingernails. She happens to be a fantastic singer, which really helps.”

And their two young boys are making music, too.

“Juno is coming along on the fiddle and Theo is a really good on the drums,” said the proud papa, whose idea of a great time is hanging out with his family.

Now that Fleck is turning 65 on July 10, what does he hope his legacy will be?

“I hope I opened people’s minds about the possibilities of the banjo,” he said. “It’s been an incredible journey and I hope it goes on for a lot longer!”

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