There will never be another Bela Fleck. He's more than just a banjo player that seems to defy the laws of physics. He's an ambassador of great musicians. Everybody he surrounds himself with shines like gold when they perform with him.
Amen to this! Integrity and generosity and virtuosity are a rare and wonderful alchemy. Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, YoYo Ma, Sting, Aoife O'Donovan and Chris Thile are others who have moved me in this manner.
Yes indeed. He's the best possible leader. Saw him just a few months back & he was the inspiration for all involved. I felt special just being there & watching. Sierra Hull was absolutely magical as well. They worked brilliantly together.
10/9/2024 - I watch this and Bella Fleck, Jerry Douglas, the entire TAS band brings tears to my eyes. Particularly tears of joy and particularly tears of sadness of something I’m not sure we will ever get back. Maybe we will- hopefully. @jerrydouglas and @belafleck
If you like this song, and have never been on a road trip, you now have your next vacation planned. This song defines exploration, traversing terrain, and experiencing the rock we all live on.
The Dobro solo totally encapsulates that feeling. Jerry Douglas is a master. I hear a whole story of a boy adventuring the country side outside of his home, growing up, venturing further and further, and finally settling down as an old man with his memories.
This is by far one of my favorite tunes ever written. My wife and I were married to it and it runs very, very deep. This is an absolutely astounding take on "Big Country". Glorious! If you can't get behind this you've got a heart of stone! Best part; Jerry's solo. Bela gives him the nod and there's just a very quiet reverence about the group as they support. Again, glorious!
We allways play this song in the car on the way south in the summer, to France. My kid loves this song from when he was two. He's seven now. Hearing my transatlantic hero's play this makes just a bit of a tear well in my eyes.
Dude you are awesome. This is the song my wife walked down the aisle to. I love songs like this. So well written and complex that you can't describe them appropriately so you just make them part of your life. :)
This brings back memories of growing up on my family's old farm. It hurts, remembering older, better times. But I wouldn't trade that pain for anything, because it was worth every damn moment. Hopefully my words can impart a fraction of that feeling to whoever might happen to read this, and if so, a measure of the same peace of mind.
Thank you all, good gentlemen for the 1000s of hours of practice and rehersals to make this one of the best 5 minutes and 32 seconds I've spent on TH-cam today!!!! Be well!!!! Thank you x 1000!!!
This is the song my wife walked down the aisle to. I love songs like this. So well written and complex that you can't describe them appropriately so you just make them part of your life. :)
The pictures this paints in my mind and the atmosphere this song evokes are some of the most vivid and beautiful I've ever experienced. The first time I listened to it, I nearly cried. The second time, I did.
This song (and Bigfoot) has been in my mind for 20 plus years. My entire family is from Scotland and I hear this and all I can picture are the mountains and valleys of the highlands. Bela is a next level storyteller, while not once opening his mouth!
Absolutely enthralled by this. Can't stop listening, it's always on repeat. Definitely saved my life a couple times.I hope the flautist gets paid handsomely, he absolutely goes off at 4:47, kills it.
@@eoghancasserly3626 Absolutely! I have my High D and started playing along! Love Bela, how gracious and unassuming he is and how he mixes musical cultures seamlessly!
@@jamesmcdonough7414 I have one of those myself but I'd wager you're 20 times better than me! I can't play it to save my life, I'll stick to the strings 🤣🤣🤣
@@eoghancasserly3626 just rewatching - makes a lot of sense that the instrument isn't a flute. No idea what I was thinking... thank you for correcting me!
dougie hamilton Yes, sweet! The Irish / Scottish / Appalachian circle is unbroken. Béla Fleck, banjo; Aly Bain & John McCusker, fiddle; Jerry Douglas, Dobro; Phil Cunningham, accordion; John Doyle, guitar; Dónal Lunny, Bouzouki; James MacKintosh, percussion; Mike McGoldrick, low whistle; Donald Shaw, piano; Danny Thompson, bass. (From the AllMusic site.)
oh my gosh, I literally wept during flux's short dobro solo. and it tells you everything you need to know that bela was entirely content to be in the background til about 3:50 into HIS song. this really causes my soul to soar.
My favorite parts are when the bass plays a solo. Not often you see the bass pick up the lead like that. And the accordion part that goes along with it is so sweet. The guitar solo from Jerry is also great. And then the whistle near the end is just perfect. And finally, the parts Bela plays at the end. A overwhelming crescendo of notes and scales. 10/10. It simply doesn't get any better than this.
Bela: A few years too late with this comment! But never the less, I thoroughly enjoy your musicianship! The energy you bestow in your craft is exemplary! Thank You Bela for what you give our ears to listen to!!!
Nicely put. I played to my wife’s pregnant belly every night and my 17 yr old song now sings along to everything I used to play without me ever having to teach him a word....weird and wonderful. Be a good Daddy Zack, it’s well worth it x
This piece strips you from the need to understand, analyze and rationalize music and gives you this upper hand of feeling it so smoothly and easily. A tune so contagious despite of its complexity, and a relay of musical instruments from the banjo, to the stand-up bass, flute, violins, acoustic guitars, and accordion, all of which makes you feel you are part of the ensemble. One instrument takes the tune from the other and passes it to another instrument as if they were a master sports team with an elevated command of the art. And then they build it up to reach a crescendo that makes you want to stand up and scream loudly cheering for scoring a touchdown. What a team! People have used this piece of music on many occasions: weddings, driving in the country side while speeding in a convertible and the wind blowing her hair, new born, and some even requested it to be played at their funeral. A master composition is one that evokes all kinds of feelings, happy, sad, mild and strong with tears of joy and sadness. This one is a great example .
This is the music where there are no words to describe it. It is just absolutely perfect and makes me so warm and fuzzy and makes me cry tears of happiness every single time I hear it. Truly an amazing piece of work! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.❤️
Big fan of Danny Thompson on double bass. Love Bela and Jerry too. But really enjoy the silent conversations these guys have when they look at each other, work out breaks and transitions. That’s all the fun and magic of playing together.
Yes . Bela says that this song came to him in a dream and it was all he could do to get it down before it faded . He says he called his answering machine and hummed the motif and ran with it from there . The great stuff is not created - it's discovered by those worthy of channeling the wellspring of creativity .
This is always been one of my absolute favorite songs by the Flecktones. While this version lacks the power and (for lack of a better word) majesty of the Flecktones’ version it has a sweetness that literally brings tears to my eyes.
I couldn't agree more. I can't tell you why some tunes seem to reach down into my soul and pluck at my heartstrings, even when I haven't heard them anywhere special before. This one is definitely one of those tunes. If I knew I had one day left to live, one day to say my goodbyes and set whatever I could right, then one final sunset to watch before the end, I'd listen to this while I watched it.
True that. This is a song that invokes an overwhelming feeling of majesty and awe. Does that sound a bit over the top? Not in my head. Goosebumps & tears indeed.
Every time I hear something by Bela Fleck, it is extraordinarily different from anything I heard before. Bluegrass to folk to jazz to classical music. Is there anything he CAN’T play? This piece is beautiful and haunting.
Béla Fleck, banjo; Aly Bain & John McCusker, fiddle; Jerry Douglas, Dobro; Phil Cunningham, accordion; John Doyle, guitar; Dónal Lunny, Bouzouki; James MacKintosh, percussion; Mike McGoldrick, low whistle; Donald Shaw, piano; Danny Thompson, bass.
OMG. Just beautiful...and that doesn't even go far enough!! My all-time favorite of Bela's and this arrangement just blew me away!!! Brought me to goose bumps and tears! Thank you, Bela and musicians!!
Favorite version I think. So many great solo's including the bass which was outstanding (with a appreciative nod from Bela), Jerry on Dobro and the whole song took on a Celtic feel so strong my Irish roots could feel it. Beautiful piece and a amazing performance by all. Bela, well he's always great not much can be said about that for sure!
Anyone else keep returning to this video?
Year after year after year
I was thinking the same thing. Probably monthly. Sometimes weekly.
Uh, yup! LOVE this video and love this song. It's an addiction that I refuse to quit!
Hell ya been in my favorites since 2015.
Can’t stop!
There will never be another Bela Fleck. He's more than just a banjo player that seems to defy the laws of physics. He's an ambassador of great musicians. Everybody he surrounds himself with shines like gold when they perform with him.
Amen to this! Integrity and generosity and virtuosity are a rare and wonderful alchemy. Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, YoYo Ma, Sting, Aoife O'Donovan and Chris Thile are others who have moved me in this manner.
Yes indeed. He's the best possible leader. Saw him just a few months back & he was the inspiration for all involved. I felt special just being there & watching. Sierra Hull was absolutely magical as well. They worked brilliantly together.
This song makes me nostalgic for something I ain't ever had.
Pretty much this
It’s an innate longing & desire!
Every one is looking for something, to know what it is I think is the secret
The word for that is Hirath
This made me nostalgic for something I had, but never understood or appreciated, and gave away far too cheaply.
DOES anyone else keep returning to this....
Yes. All the time 🙂
Yes multiple times 😅
Yes, me!
Just feels like butter
Yes if I don't reply that's mean i am passed 😇 away
This version of Big Country gives me chills. It's like the song fulfilled its destiny.
Yes indeed. Got what it truly deserved. Just magnificent!
This is undoubtedly my favorite version of the song.
Yes!!!!!!!! Beautifully put.
So much depth and full sound. A thing of beauty
plays really well in a playlist with Monody by The Fat Rat
Head phones on eyes closed and listening to a little piece of heaven
Has to be one of the greatest and most under appreciated pieces of music ever written. The poor mainstream crowd will never know.
Truth!
You are the precise reason "THE POOR", never know. Dolt. Poltroon. Wanker-
Just spread the joy from this one and maybe everyone else will learn. Everyone has to discover the good stuff somehow!
Let them be clueless. We don't want them around anyway.
I searched for Jerry Douglas and it took me here. Is this Americana, or Bluegrass? I like to break down the umbrella of 'country music.'
It’s music like this that makes life worth living. I can’t get enough of this kind of perfection. Thank you, Béla!!
Amen to that!
You pulled the syllables right over my tonsils!
..and thank you Jerry!
@@juansanchezrosales1607 Indeed!
Instablaster.
when the music swells in the bridge, it just gives me chills. I miss being part of those sessions.
This song is timeless!!!!
Bela looks at the other artists with the same affection that I see Mark Knopfler look at his colleagues with.. Pure adoration. What a group!
It must be great to write a tune, trust it to a dozen soulful strangers, and then hear it blossom into something magnificent.
It's like an alternate universe where Rivendell decided, "fuck that whole fellowship/ring business. Let's just jam."
Lmao! Such an underrated comment
10/9/2024 - I watch this and Bella Fleck, Jerry Douglas, the entire TAS band brings tears to my eyes. Particularly tears of joy and particularly tears of sadness of something I’m not sure we will ever get back. Maybe we will- hopefully. @jerrydouglas and @belafleck
If you like this song, and have never been on a road trip, you now have your next vacation planned. This song defines exploration, traversing terrain, and experiencing the rock we all live on.
The Dobro solo totally encapsulates that feeling. Jerry Douglas is a master. I hear a whole story of a boy adventuring the country side outside of his home, growing up, venturing further and further, and finally settling down as an old man with his memories.
There are only a few songs that brings a tear to my eye from just shear beauty. This is one of them.
I am obsessed with this song. Soooo good. Makes you feel good inside.
This is by far one of my favorite tunes ever written. My wife and I were married to it and it runs very, very deep. This is an absolutely astounding take on "Big Country". Glorious! If you can't get behind this you've got a heart of stone!
Best part; Jerry's solo. Bela gives him the nod and there's just a very quiet reverence about the group as they support. Again, glorious!
how cool that you included this beautiful tune in your wedding ceremony
We allways play this song in the car on the way south in the summer, to France. My kid loves this song from when he was two. He's seven now. Hearing my transatlantic hero's play this makes just a bit of a tear well in my eyes.
Dude you are awesome. This is the song my wife walked down the aisle to. I love songs like this. So well written and complex that you can't describe them appropriately so you just make them part of your life. :)
This brings back memories of growing up on my family's old farm. It hurts, remembering older, better times. But I wouldn't trade that pain for anything, because it was worth every damn moment. Hopefully my words can impart a fraction of that feeling to whoever might happen to read this, and if so, a measure of the same peace of mind.
This is the best version I've ever heard of this song. It's been at least 1000 times and I still can't stop playing this
Really good Bela. It made me think and feel God, and have compassion for us all and forgiveness and help.❤
Will bring a tear to a grown man's eye! BEAUTIFUL
Every time I come back to this I'm blown away by how beautiful it is.
This was my first time listening to this group. WOW It sounds like the sound of nature coming up out of the earth. Well done.
This is MY first time hearing it. Agree 100% WOW
1st of many to come. Fabulous
This makes me so happy and excited 😅
Once again 🎉I continue to enjoy 😊 and promote listening to this fun song 🎉
Thank you all, good gentlemen for the 1000s of hours of practice and rehersals to make this one of the best 5 minutes and 32 seconds I've spent on TH-cam today!!!! Be well!!!! Thank you x 1000!!!
Breathtaking!! Really!!!!!
This is the song my wife walked down the aisle to. I love songs like this. So well written and complex that you can't describe them appropriately so you just make them part of your life. :)
As a banjoist, when I start playing this song, I cant stop! I played it for 3 hours last night. Thank you Bela
The best song Bela ever wrote and this is the best rendition of it too. Magnificent!
This is a tour of the evolution of Celtic music, and it's just gorgeous. Someone needs to get this in a film soundtrack.
Bela isnt just a phenomenal banjoists, he has written some of the most amazing songs too.
The pictures this paints in my mind and the atmosphere this song evokes are some of the most vivid and beautiful I've ever experienced. The first time I listened to it, I nearly cried. The second time, I did.
I thought I was the only one it gave that feeling to.
This song (and Bigfoot) has been in my mind for 20 plus years. My entire family is from Scotland and I hear this and all I can picture are the mountains and valleys of the highlands. Bela is a next level storyteller, while not once opening his mouth!
I think that no matter what country we live in, if we’re lucky we’ve all been to our place that this music paints ❤️
Danny Thompson from PENTANGLE on DOUBLE BASS! What musicians gathered for this beautiful song wow!
the very best
Absolutely enthralled by this. Can't stop listening, it's always on repeat. Definitely saved my life a couple times.I hope the flautist gets paid handsomely, he absolutely goes off at 4:47, kills it.
Unless I'm very wrong he's playing a low whistle, a lower style of Irish tin whistle
@@eoghancasserly3626 Absolutely! I have my High D and started playing along! Love Bela, how gracious and unassuming he is and how he mixes musical cultures seamlessly!
@@jamesmcdonough7414 I have one of those myself but I'd wager you're 20 times better than me! I can't play it to save my life, I'll stick to the strings 🤣🤣🤣
@@eoghancasserly3626 just rewatching - makes a lot of sense that the instrument isn't a flute. No idea what I was thinking... thank you for correcting me!
@Eoghan Casserly Low E whistle, played by Mike McGoldrick ... he's a genius, look him up!
Best Banjo Music! hinspect from Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA 🇺🇸
More music like this would make the world a far better place. Its beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
This is candidate for the ultimte beautiful song. there is no way a music can be more happy and beautiful at the same time. its the limmit acchieved.
You could see Bela smile when it all hit, I come back every few months for another dose, one of the best songs, played unbelievably
Fabulous music, just from the heart!!!
Precioso tema no me canso de escuchar y ya son muchos años viva Bela❤
Bela's face at the end is priceless. 10 years overdue appearing on this show
dougie hamilton Yes, sweet! The Irish / Scottish / Appalachian circle is unbroken.
Béla Fleck, banjo; Aly Bain & John McCusker, fiddle; Jerry Douglas, Dobro; Phil Cunningham, accordion; John Doyle, guitar; Dónal Lunny, Bouzouki; James MacKintosh, percussion; Mike McGoldrick, low whistle; Donald Shaw, piano; Danny Thompson, bass. (From the AllMusic site.)
Superbe !
I was lucky to find this and really continuing to listen to it a ton of times😀
Now a "Ton of Times" X 2🤩
It makes me homesick for my home in sweet, sweet Tennessee
2 minutes in and I''m crying . Love it
If you listen well enough, you live it
Matt McDonald year’s later... still living it! 20 years later!!!
Bro this shit made me cry. I can fucking feel it
Well-said!!
Nice !
Amazing sound recording. BBC engineers are the best!
oh my gosh, I literally wept during flux's short dobro solo. and it tells you everything you need to know that bela was entirely content to be in the background til about 3:50 into HIS song. this really causes my soul to soar.
My favorite parts are when the bass plays a solo. Not often you see the bass pick up the lead like that. And the accordion part that goes along with it is so sweet. The guitar solo from Jerry is also great. And then the whistle near the end is just perfect. And finally, the parts Bela plays at the end. A overwhelming crescendo of notes and scales. 10/10. It simply doesn't get any better than this.
Have you seen the version with victor wooten?
Danny Thompson is my favourite bass player ever. Check out his work with Pentangle and John Martyn!
If you like bass playing lead then you should listen to the original Flecktones version.
Bela: A few years too late with this comment! But never the less, I thoroughly enjoy your musicianship! The energy you bestow in your craft is exemplary! Thank You Bela for what you give our ears to listen to!!!
He’s so appreciated, the heir to Washburn married him
Literally a god amongst mere mortals
Love this song sooo good the best Bela have made🎸❤️💯👍👍
Yeah, something about this song hits just right.
Danny Thompson and Aly Bain--with Bela Fleck! Holy Cats!
Holy fleck
And John Doyle - wow...
Indeed
That was wonderful
Love this song, it's my go to song to play for my newborn daughter. I feel like she'll remember it when she's grown.
Nicely put. I played to my wife’s pregnant belly every night and my 17 yr old song now sings along to everything I used to play without me ever having to teach him a word....weird and wonderful. Be a good Daddy Zack, it’s well worth it x
Wow...I agree with everyone. I've been listening to and seeing Bela Fleck for years. He shits brilliance and surrounds himself with the best
Play this version at my funeral boys
I can only hope brother
Dont know you but ill play it for you in Michigan!
meeeee too
I second that.
I have heard many versions of this tune, and this one seems to work best. I think it's the celtic feel added by the flute and the acordion
I have never heard it before but will listen many more times !
Pure musical genius.
Bela's the best 5 string player in history. A great pleasure to hear that sound again.
This piece strips you from the need to understand, analyze and rationalize music and gives you this upper hand of feeling it so smoothly and easily. A tune so contagious despite of its complexity, and a relay of musical instruments from the banjo, to the stand-up bass, flute, violins, acoustic guitars, and accordion, all of which makes you feel you are part of the ensemble. One instrument takes the tune from the other and passes it to another instrument as if they were a master sports team with an elevated command of the art. And then they build it up to reach a crescendo that makes you want to stand up and scream loudly cheering for scoring a touchdown. What a team!
People have used this piece of music on many occasions: weddings, driving in the country side while speeding in a convertible and the wind blowing her hair, new born, and some even requested it to be played at their funeral. A master composition is one that evokes all kinds of feelings, happy, sad, mild and strong with tears of joy and sadness. This one is a great example
.
Well said, Ramzi!
This is the music where there are no words to describe it. It is just absolutely perfect and makes me so warm and fuzzy and makes me cry tears of happiness every single time I hear it. Truly an amazing piece of work! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.❤️
Big fan of Danny Thompson on double bass. Love Bela and Jerry too. But really enjoy the silent conversations these guys have when they look at each other, work out breaks and transitions. That’s all the fun and magic of playing together.
I just watched this over and over, and ik it makes me smile and cry at the same time. Every time
Heavenly sounds!!!!!!!!!! This is heaven absolutely!
AMEN X 2😇
God must have chosen you, Béla... just to reveal this for us, awesome! Hugs from Reinbek, Germany. Be blessed. All of you.
moin zaiqjb of pQ on diabmb uh
God and 11 hours a day practice when he was a teenager.
Nice
Yes . Bela says that this song came to him in a dream and it was all he could do to get it down before it faded . He says he called his answering machine and hummed the motif and ran with it from there . The great stuff is not created - it's discovered by those worthy of channeling the wellspring of creativity .
Thank you kindly 😇😊
This is always been one of my absolute favorite songs by the Flecktones. While this version lacks the power and (for lack of a better word) majesty of the Flecktones’ version it has a sweetness that literally brings tears to my eyes.
Hey thanks, please share the link for version
ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFULL PIECES OF MUSIC I'VE HEARD IN THE LASTS YEARS....
Agree100 % ☺
that dobro is telling you a story if you listen
So beautiful. I've got goosebumps and tears in my eyes.
I couldn't agree more. I can't tell you why some tunes seem to reach down into my soul and pluck at my heartstrings, even when I haven't heard them anywhere special before. This one is definitely one of those tunes. If I knew I had one day left to live, one day to say my goodbyes and set whatever I could right, then one final sunset to watch before the end, I'd listen to this while I watched it.
Agree 100%. So sweet and down home . My type exactly . Thanks Bela☺
Me too!
Tears are rolling down my face right now, and I feel exactly the same way, especially as I enter my twilight years.
True that. This is a song that invokes an overwhelming feeling of majesty and awe. Does that sound a bit over the top? Not in my head. Goosebumps & tears indeed.
Every couple months I come right back here. Wow
This made me feel 100% better after listening to this!
Me 2😀
Wonderful music from truly great musicians.
And that simple, lovely bass solo!
TS5, the best of the best.
one of the most beautiful recordings of all time and just over 20k views
Up to 300k now!!
It really is !
It’s magical. There’s nobody out of place, it’s just great
I think 1k of those views are mine. 👍🏻✌🏼💯
I just so love this song played by Bela Fleck!!!
Every time I hear something by Bela Fleck, it is extraordinarily different from anything I heard before. Bluegrass to folk to jazz to classical music. Is there anything he CAN’T play? This piece is beautiful and haunting.
Back to the “reel” roots ...like comfortable pair of shoes..no matter how many other instruments there are..you can always hear the banjo.eh?
What an awesome jewel to find......a total pleasure to listen to....I play it back to back a few times every time I come here...Thanks Bela.....
so sorry I never heard this 'til now. Phenomenal !
Really Big. Big song with Big heart. Beautiful.
Simply transcendent. My favorite version of this tune (and that's saying a LOT!!!) ;)
This is what heaven sounds like
Yes, and cheers to that, Jin!!
We hope!
Is Ireland heaven?
Perfect 😁😇
Bela fleck plays so peacefully and plays some of the best banjo backup!
Masterful in every way! I always smile when Danny takes the melody on his bass.
This was amazing. I've already listened to it twenty times and started to learn it and I just found it.
Donal Lunny, John Doyle... a wonderful fellowship of folks... true masterpiece
Béla Fleck, banjo; Aly Bain & John McCusker, fiddle; Jerry Douglas, Dobro; Phil Cunningham, accordion; John Doyle, guitar; Dónal Lunny, Bouzouki; James MacKintosh, percussion; Mike McGoldrick, low whistle; Donald Shaw, piano; Danny Thompson, bass.
OMG. Just beautiful...and that doesn't even go far enough!! My all-time favorite of Bela's and this arrangement just blew me away!!! Brought me to goose bumps and tears!
Thank you, Bela and musicians!!
Even more breathtaking than the flecktones version from live at the quick, due to the slower tempo
I can't believe Jeff Bezos' tin whistle career didn't take off!
Releasing Beauty to the world if we all could come together this is what Earth would sound like Pure Bliss
One of the most beautiful pieces of art I've experienced
Chills running down my spine... this piece is just too awesome for words...
absolutely divine thankyou for the cleansing
Favorite version I think. So many great solo's including the bass which was outstanding (with a appreciative nod from Bela), Jerry on Dobro and the whole song took on a Celtic feel so strong my Irish roots could feel it. Beautiful piece and a amazing performance by all. Bela, well he's always great not much can be said about that for sure!
Beautiful - I watch it again and again
Jerry Douglas. Straight out of God’s mouth. 🇺🇸
1:27 beautiful melody
Love this rendition.