BELA FLECK
Rhapsody in Blue
Thirty Tigers Records (auditioned as CD). 2024. Bela Fleck, prod.; Richard Battaglia, Paul Blakemore, Richard King, Chris Magruder, Jennifer Nulsen, Lawson White, engs.
Fresh off winning, his homage to legendary composer George Gershwin. The record explores Gershwin’s classic work in three variations: “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)” with his core band, “Rhapsody in Blue(s)” with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Victor Wooten, and the original classical piece performed in a straightforward way but with solo banjo substituting for piano. The orchestral part is performed by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eric Jacobsen. The set also features Gershwin’s “Rialto Ripples” and “Unidentified Piece for Banjo,” a previously unrecorded, unreleased song discovered at the Library of Congress.
