Classical Banjo - and that's no joke

Yes, it's classical banjo day courtesy of eclectic master banjoist Bela Fleck's CD, "Perpetual Motion". Banjos and banjoists take more than their share of abuse - for example, here's the canonical list of banjo jokes many of which started out as ethnic, lawyer, or - more appropriately - accordion jokes. But Bela Fleck and his banjo are no joke.

There's a category of recordings of classic music with unusual instrumentation (ignoring the "original instruments" group which would say that about every recording of pre-Classical era music that uses post-18th century instruments, and the common transcriptions of harpsichord music for piano, etc.). Some examples from my own collection that immediately come to mind are Walter/Wendy Carlos' Switched-On Bach, Synergy's synth arrangement of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" (yeah, not strictly "classical" but the same concept), and the Swingle Singers' baroque vocalese.

There are two recordings in this category that I really like. One is Bob James' arrangements of Rameau for synthesizers, a set that can best be described as charming in a weird, electronic way. The other is the current selection, Fleck's Perpetual Motion. One thing that sets this CD apart is the use of all acoustic instruments. Fleck's banjo is supported on various tracks by marimba, acoustic bass, violin, mandolin, cello, and guitar (some fine musicians, too, including Edgar Meyer, Joshua Bell, and mandolin monster, Chris Thile of Nickel Creek). This helps him particularly when he branches out of Baroque selections (in which tonal coloring and dynamics are not as important as mathematical precision and clean lines) into pieces by Chopin and Brahms. Even there, most of the Romantic pieces are more Baroque-like, including a transcription of Paganini's tour de force for violin, Moto Perpetuo and Beethoven's Seven Variations on "God Save the King". Most of it works very well, including - to my surprise - a lovely take on Debussy's Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum. The weakest pieces, though, are those whose nature runs counter to the banjo's emotional capabilities like Tchaikovsky's Melody in E-flat.

That said, this is a disc I like for rainy afternoons, late night and early morning, and work. Fleck, whose eclectic nature is evident from his discography, does bluegrass/fusion/jazz work with the Flecktones, straight-up bluegrass with people like Dave Grisman, Jerry Douglas, and Tony Rice (the last cut is a reprise of Moto Perpetuo in bluegrass style), and a variety of solo projects, has gone out on a small limb here and hung on successfully for the greater part. I hope he cuts another like it in the not-too-distant future.