We keep forgetting to ask people to subscribe. Is it tacky to ask y'all to subscribe in this here comment? I hope you liked this banjo episode. I promise we're going to have more episodes like this one coming out. So if you like it... just hit that there subscribe button
I have a problem with remembering people's faces or discerning them when I see someone. I've watched Abigail with Bela in many videos, but when I met them both, I didn't realize Abigail was the person that greeted me. I'm a mailman, and when I delivered their packages/letters and recognized Bela's name on his electric bill, I was really excited and too scared I might scare them with my "fan excitement" so I just delivered their stuff like normally. When I had another chance to deliver their stuff. I was overcame with joy when Abigail (at the time I didn't realize it was her) came out and accepted the items they ordered and talked with me. I asked if "THE Bela Fleck" lived here and she replied, "YES!" We gave each other a high five and she asked if I wanted to meet him. Abigail is such a wholesome person and I'm so glad that I had the chance to meet her (and her husband) in such a regular and non fandom situation, it means so much more to me even months after meeting her and Bela at their home. YOU ARE AMAZING ABIGAIL AND BELA! MUCH LOVE from the postal service :)
Abigail and Bela have done quite a few videos themselves. They strike me as incredibly friendly, easy-going folks. Well.... I mean... they're banjo players, after all. :D
@@Kaotiqua I get that it's a riff(pun intended) on banjo players being overall friendly, but... These really legendary musicians tend to be absurdly friendly. Surely there are some bad apples, but from the few times I came in contact with big name musicians, they were generally very friendly. That's especially true about niche musicians. I couldn't tell you why, but my guess is that when you aim for mastery rather than simply fame, you can't help but be humbled by it all.
I am from west Africa, and when she said the instrument originated from some African regions it clicked...Banjo in my language roughly translates to "dance with me," "dance for me" or something similar. Coincidence??? Maybe, but I'm suprised I never Made the connection.
@@ProgrammerNextDoorTO You are probably right, but also it was tribes of North African Arabs who played it, maybe earlier. Banjo could be Arabic OR a North African Arab dialect such as Tunisian or Moroccan.
Just stumbled across this and haven't read through the comments, but was disappointed to not have anything brought up about the use of the banjo in Irish folk music.
62 yr old kraka horse here. Road HARD and picked up wet. AMAZING mini docu!!! Young LADY you have as much a gift as them, with added peripherals. GOD BLESS Y'ALL!!!
As a long term banjo player, I love this! When I went to Morocco a few years ago I saw groups playing in the public squares using both the traditional gourd instruments from west africa and banjos at the same time. Two branches of the same instrument.So cool to see how music and instruments spread across the world and influence one another.
The guy saying "There's not much to it" and then playing baby shark cracked me up. Thanks for this video guys, I'm in love with Banjos and Mandolin. Interesting that the Banjo as seen as a "hillbilly" instrument when it's origin is West African.
In an instructional video, Pete Seeger said something like "It ain't no harder than walkin. Of course it took you a few years to learn how do that too."
@@CamerenCollierMusic When we trace the history back, it comes from slaves. The first white people to play it all say they got it from slaves. And there's an instrument in west Africa called the akonting or African lute. It's basically a guitar on a drum like other instruments around the world but it has a short drone string for the thumb. A characteristic exclusive to the banjo (and the akonting) and that's what allows the banjo to play it's unique syncopated feel. They think that the akonting came over from Africa in the minds of slaves and was remade using American supplies tools etc and that's how the banjo came to be. The rest of the story is a bit uncomfortable since it has to do with minstrel shows but all the same, the story of the banjo is the story of America. The good and the bad. Plus it's just a fascinating story. I suggest you look into further. I mean if you want. No pressure. And since this has come out, we've began to see a whole new generation of black banjo players. Rhiannon Giddens, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cedric Watson, Dom Flemons. They're really great. It's a kind of old timey revival.
The banjo today could not be further from the instrument played by slaves. That is like comparing a modern compound bow to the bow used by native tribes in the amazon. The american banjo is its own instrument, trying to give africans credit for it is ridiculous.
@@richardgredwulf-cronley3858 What ridiculous logic, if you think it bears no resemblance you have no knowledge about insturments. Banjo experts who have experience with the West African predecessors will tell you how much they share in common, INCLUDING THE ONES IN THE VIDEO FFS. By that logic the electric guitar isn't related to the Spanish classical guitar, modern computers have no connection to their vaccum tube forebears and Cannons have no connection to modern artillery. Human technology develops with time and denying a technologies direct ancedentents is willful ignorance. By your logic only the person or society who deserves any credit is the one who has most recently tweaked some technology. I'm assuming you think Elon musk invented the electric car.
One should bear in mind, that the banjo origanally is an instrument from west africa There is a place called BANJUL. Which means STRAW, OR RUSH It came to the American continent with the african slaves-
You guys should do an episode on "talking drums" in West Africa (Bata, dundun, tama, etc.). People say music is a language as a metaphor, but in some situations, that's literally true.
@@nedisahonkey True. There are definitely some people here in the US who play those instruments. Here's a guy in Atlanta: th-cam.com/video/B4oQJZ2TEVI/w-d-xo.html
My mom and dad got tickets to see Roy Clark when I was 3 or 4. The sitter never showed up that night. Dad wasn't about to miss Roy Clark so, they stuffed some cotton in my ears and, I got to go with them. It didn't take long for me to give my pop the slip. I always went my own way my aunt said I was so bad, my mom would hook a leash to my belt at times so she could grocery shop. They didn't bring it that night though and first chance, I snuck right up front. It was magical. The rest of the people melted away and it felt like he was playing just for me. The music made me laugh and dance. His smile was impossible not to return. I think he may have been a little charmed by me too. When he finished, I wasn't having any of that! My little face all hopeful, big brown eyes begging like a starving dog. Half a bubble off a tear; "Please mister, play me more?" He played 5 more songs and I was delighted. Seeing Roy Clark playing banjo and guitar is not only a good memory, it's my first. Looking back, I feel a little bad for the freak out my parents must have been going through. But seeing my next real memory I have is my brother pushing me out of a tree and breaking my arm, I can live with their trauma.
Very nicely stated. My son was similarly enthralled when he first saw a banjo being played and now in his mid-twenties is an awesome player and is doing things I don't hear anyone else doing in it. Seeing Earl Scruggs and then a few Reno style players really pulled him in and he focused on doing Reno style for a long time.
Wow! Guys, this was amazing video! I am from Bulgaria, a country proud with its traditional music, dances, ways of singing, but bluegrass, country music and southern gothic music are the styles I am starting to work with now. Thank you for this awesome content!!!
Bela can take a lot of credit for its comeback honestly. As a musician I kinda liked bluegrass and only really accepted it in that genre. Then I heard the Flecktones and was completely BLOWN away as I liked jazz as well. I've been a Flecktones fan ever since and Victor Wooten's playing has been an inspiration to me for quite some time. I still remember hearing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones for the first time on the Tonight Show. They are still amazing!
My college girlfriend worked for his publicist, so I got to see the Flecktones play, supporting the UFO Tofu album. I'd never heard of them, but I'd loved the banjo since I was a kid. I had no idea just how good all of them were going to be. At one point (probably after Wooten played Amazing Grace in harmonics while also playing the bass line), I turned to a guy behind me and said "Ya know--that bass player's really good!" He laughed and said "Brother--he's the reason half the crowd is here right now!" ;-)
I got to do monitors for the Flecktones in the '90s in Madison WI. THE BEST SHOW EVER! And I got to listen to them up close. The things I heard on my headphones was AMAZING! Bela was the nicest person. Jazz banjo...yeah!
Béla is a legend, i saw him with the flecktones live once, probably one of the greatest groups of musicians ever to exist, also he has the absolute best bassist in the world imo : victor wooten
I'm afraid to say that, in the opinions of many of today's top musicians, Victor Wooten has been overshadowed by a hugely talented young man called Charles Berthoud and I have to say, they may well be right.
My favorite thing about the banjo and folk music in general is the range of emotion it can convey. It can be happy go lucky in care free or it can be beautifully sorrowful and melancholy
A vastly underappreciated instrument. When my son was three, I was showing him some Bela Fleck, and he wanted to know who was playing the "barn guitar" He's had a fascination with it since, and he loved this episode too! Good stuff. Love you guys! 👍✌️❤️🤘
@@Kaotiqua , her voice would fit right in with the style of Celtic folksingers such as Maddy Prior, June Tabor and Sandy Denny ,( may she rest in peace,). A lot of music from the British Isles was brought to Appalachia by Scottish and Irish immigrants, and became endemic to the region, pretty much unchanged, for several hundred years.
I remember first seeing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show on Feb. 5th 1992, and just 5 days later he played The Belly Up Tavern, a local San Diego area music scene. I was shocked that a guest on Carson would be in such an intimate venue, when I would normally expect first-time guests to be instantly launched into the firmament. Fleck himself was beyond mind-blowing, but so was his entire band. Most notably, the bassist was the incomparable Victor Wooten. During a break he came out and played a bass rendition of a classical piece (Bach, IIRC) that made the normally raucous bar completely silent, to the point that the bartenders stopped pouring drinks or using the cash register. The silence lingered long after Victor's last note completely faded away. After which we all "exhaled loudly". Bela wasn't the only virtuoso in the house! Victor's brother Roy, the funky pirate-hatted "Future Man" himself, played the drumitar. Something you must see to believe. I literally lack the words. Then there was Howard Levy, who played "everything else" including keyboards, harmonica, guitar, flute, and more. I believe he also acted as the de-facto musical director, keeping the band focused and in the groove, yet on their toes by tossing in improvised phrases to spice things up (as did everyone, but Howard's were special). That Carson show was the first time I realized I absolutely needed a better sound system for my TV (banjo brought out the worst in my speakers). And that Belly Up show was the first time I had been so close to true musical greatness, a huge step up from the awesome bands and terrific musicians that always played there. Bela totally upgraded my musical existence, and I haven't looked back since.
I love how the description, "A drum head with a neck" perfectly describes the sound of a banjo to me. Awesome episode as always! Would love to see future videos, if you do more on specific cultural instruments, of things like the ocarina, sitar, or even didgeridoo!
I just became obsessed with Banjo after years of guitar playing.Thanks so much for the video. I love the song Abigail sings Bloomin' Rose! It's so pretty I had to find it and download it along with several other songs. :D
Wow - that rendition of "Bloomin' Rose" in the beginning was amazing. Had never heard it before - what a voice! And the melody's very "Irish" skips and cadences together with the more "American" ending to the phrase in the chorus... wonderful! Thanks for bringing more great music and its history to my attention, Nahre! :)
I’ve been looking forward to this moment for weeks since you released the teaser excerpt of it! Amazingly informative and constantly exploratory as always! I can’t even believe how much depth every single genre has that I feel regretful that I discovered them late! Thank you so much crew for opening that third ear as always! 😊🙏🎉🙌
I would love to see a whole series of these kinds of videos, where you travel around the world with each episode focused on a different somewhat unique, non-mainstream instrument. Exploring the different kinds of playing styles, the histories of it, and how it is making a comeback in modern music.
Theres a band here in Pittsburgh that plays old timey jazz tunes, as the old big bands used banjos before guitars went amplified, its 2 banjos and a standup bass and the soloist is CRAZYY
I really want to hear that banjo being played, now. That's got to be a curious sound. Edit: Yes, it is a curious sound. th-cam.com/video/74bYq6G471k/w-d-xo.html
My great grandfather and my great uncle used to make mountain banjos and dulcimers, so I know a little bit about them and know it would take me a long time to make one like they did.
Glad I saw this in my feed, it brought back good memories. I was fortunate to see Bela Fleck in concert with Edgar Meyer (or the other way around!) at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, MI. It was one of the best, if not the best, concert I have ever seen and I will not forget it.
thank you for sharing this video!im geting a banjo in a week ive been playing electric guitar for 6 months now and cant wait to give the banjo a whirl once again thank you for the history your talent and insperation
I am a guitar player that has played for 50yrs. I played in prog rock and jazz fusion bands as a guitarist in the 70's to 90's, when I heard Bela Fleck and the Fleck Tones in the 90"s I could not believe how good this music and playing was. It does not matter what instrument you are playing, if you are a good and can write good music you will be heard!!!
great interview, nahre. so much interesting history. i just started learning to play the banjo a few months ago.... there is such a cool community for banjo players, and always something new to learn. also, that is a badass banjo.... well done, pbs. thanks for making his video. time for me to practice....
Nahre, thank you so much for doing this. As a jazz musician and passionate (if not that great) banjo player, I'm glad more people are seeing just how wide the banjo can go. If you're looking for a banjo that's entirely different from what you know, look up Punch Brothers. (I think Nahre would really like them too). I really like Who's Feeling Young Now. It's a bunch of the best bluegrass players alive today playing anything that's not bluegrass. A lot of alt rock kind of vibes. The banjo player's name is Noam Pikelny, and he's absolutely one of the best banjo players alive today.
I would love to see a "reaction video" of Nahre and LA watching clips from "Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Live at The Quick". Has to be the most eclectic combination of instruments I've ever seen/heard.
was lucky enough to have he and the flecktones show up at college for a free symposium before lunch hour, we all skipped class of course, futureman teaching 9/16 on his knees while speaking to the crowd at the same time. ive never since seen such musicianship ...if thats even a word, and humility. shook hands, answered questions, played a hell of a show that night at the auditorium. i may be old, but this music is ageless...
Thanks so much for this! Talk about legitimizing the banjo, no one could have been a greater ambassador than Bela Fleck. I can still remember clearly the first time I heard him play. Our young family was shopping for a television 40+ years ago. Over the intercom cam a tune called UFO TOFU, and after that I couldn’t get enough. And Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum from The Children’s Corner blew me away. Such different sounds from a master.
Man I love Sound Field. My Dad is big on 60s American folk (Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, etc), so the banjo kinda reminds me of him and the music he plays in the car. My favourite use of the banjo, though, has gotta be Journey of the Sorcerer, the theme tune to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Combined with the space-age synths and wooshes, it gives the tune this ethereal yet somehow also earthy vibe. Also, Dante Limon is one of the coolest names I've ever heard.
The Flecktones Live at the Quick album is so phenomenal, and is one of my favorites. Also, I saw Rhiannon Giddens with Dirk Powell last month, and that was a killer show where no song was in same genre as any other song. Dirk picked up an accordion and played a Cajun waltz, and then Rhiannon sang a Gaelic song. Her nephew went up and rapped while band grooved behind him. They played a song in the vein of Carole King, a gospel song, a swamp pop song... And every performance was solid gold. I noticed there was a lot of communication that made me realize this was very off-the-cuff, and in fact learned afterwards that this show was never rehearsed.
thank you for always doing such a understandable and in-depth job on whatever subject you take on. Ever considered to dip into the "genre" of aphex twin? I'd love to see that stuff explained by you!
It may have African roots, but the Banjo that we know today today was developed in America and an instrument that Americans regardless of race(African-American, white Americans) can lay a claim on
We keep forgetting to ask people to subscribe. Is it tacky to ask y'all to subscribe in this here comment? I hope you liked this banjo episode. I promise we're going to have more episodes like this one coming out. So if you like it... just hit that there subscribe button
The lack of that whole tagline was refreshing, honestly. We ARE subscribed, thanks for another great video!
Sound Field you forgot the turkish chumbush! (Cümbüş)
Your videos are too awesome, people will subscribe by instinct
You've got it. Subscribing now.
Not at all! banjo does need more recognition!
I have a problem with remembering people's faces or discerning them when I see someone. I've watched Abigail with Bela in many videos, but when I met them both, I didn't realize Abigail was the person that greeted me.
I'm a mailman, and when I delivered their packages/letters and recognized Bela's name on his electric bill, I was really excited and too scared I might scare them with my "fan excitement" so I just delivered their stuff like normally.
When I had another chance to deliver their stuff. I was overcame with joy when Abigail (at the time I didn't realize it was her) came out and accepted the items they ordered and talked with me. I asked if "THE Bela Fleck" lived here and she replied, "YES!" We gave each other a high five and she asked if I wanted to meet him.
Abigail is such a wholesome person and I'm so glad that I had the chance to meet her (and her husband) in such a regular and non fandom situation, it means so much more to me even months after meeting her and Bela at their home.
YOU ARE AMAZING ABIGAIL AND BELA! MUCH LOVE from the postal service :)
This is so incredibly sweet. Wish all famous people could stay that grounded.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bela at a workshop in the 90’s and was impressed by how humble and approachable he is. Truly, a great human being!
I didn't realize just, like, getting Bela Fleck to be in a video was an option. Fantastic as always!
Abigail and Bela have done quite a few videos themselves. They strike me as incredibly friendly, easy-going folks. Well.... I mean... they're banjo players, after all. :D
@@Kaotiqua I get that it's a riff(pun intended) on banjo players being overall friendly, but... These really legendary musicians tend to be absurdly friendly. Surely there are some bad apples, but from the few times I came in contact with big name musicians, they were generally very friendly. That's especially true about niche musicians. I couldn't tell you why, but my guess is that when you aim for mastery rather than simply fame, you can't help but be humbled by it all.
and an sian american pronouncing a hungarian american name just the way we do in Budapest was an extra jaw drop moment to spice it up :)
This video made me buy a banjo, it was an entire add for banjos. I ain't mad.
It doesn't matter how low, depressed or however I feel; the moment I hear Banjo, I immediately feel good. Greetings from Australia
Getting a banjo lesson from Béla Fleck is like getting a piano lesson from Evgeny Kissin. A rare honour indeed!
I used to know a guy who learned from one of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia I'm pretty sure.
alex carter I know s guy who gave Jerry Garcia lessons, Bill Bradford Keith. haha
Brian T Bela has tapes from Home spun tapes.
It's very nice that you mentioned Kissin out of all the pianists
@@josephanderson7237 I own a banjo that Bill Keith once played (have a picture of him with it.)
I am from west Africa, and when she said the instrument originated from some African regions it clicked...Banjo in my language roughly translates to "dance with me," "dance for me" or something similar. Coincidence??? Maybe, but I'm suprised I never Made the connection.
Woa what language? So cool to see word origins
Please tell us the name of that language.
It is believed the word 'banjo' is derived from the Yoruba word 'Bami jo' which means 'dance for me'.
@@ProgrammerNextDoorTO You are probably right, but also it was tribes of North African Arabs who played it, maybe earlier. Banjo could be Arabic OR a North African Arab dialect such as Tunisian or Moroccan.
@Nobby Heads Slaves brought the banjo to America
Courtin' a girl by learning her banjo style. I never thought of that.
That must be where I've been going wrong all these years!
Just stumbled across this and haven't read through the comments, but was disappointed to not have anything brought up about the use of the banjo in Irish folk music.
62 yr old kraka horse here. Road HARD and picked up wet. AMAZING mini docu!!! Young LADY you have as much a gift as them, with added peripherals. GOD BLESS Y'ALL!!!
As a long term banjo player, I love this! When I went to Morocco a few years ago I saw groups playing in the public squares using both the traditional gourd instruments from west africa and banjos at the same time. Two branches of the same instrument.So cool to see how music and instruments spread across the world and influence one another.
That must've been amazing to see. So cool
"Great, now go practice that for two hours." That killed me.
😂 yess - it's even funnier because it's hard core truth
Or just sit on TH-cam and watch other people who have done the work 😕 (my problem)
Each of them said that. Cute.
As a banjo player myself, I can attest to the truth of that statement! WELL worth the hard work! 👍
The guy saying "There's not much to it" and then playing baby shark cracked me up. Thanks for this video guys, I'm in love with Banjos and Mandolin. Interesting that the Banjo as seen as a "hillbilly" instrument when it's origin is West African.
In an instructional video, Pete Seeger said something like "It ain't no harder than walkin. Of course it took you a few years to learn how do that too."
Wonder how that happened. 🤔
@@CamerenCollierMusic When we trace the history back, it comes from slaves. The first white people to play it all say they got it from slaves. And there's an instrument in west Africa called the akonting or African lute. It's basically a guitar on a drum like other instruments around the world but it has a short drone string for the thumb. A characteristic exclusive to the banjo (and the akonting) and that's what allows the banjo to play it's unique syncopated feel. They think that the akonting came over from Africa in the minds of slaves and was remade using American supplies tools etc and that's how the banjo came to be.
The rest of the story is a bit uncomfortable since it has to do with minstrel shows but all the same, the story of the banjo is the story of America. The good and the bad. Plus it's just a fascinating story. I suggest you look into further. I mean if you want. No pressure.
And since this has come out, we've began to see a whole new generation of black banjo players. Rhiannon Giddens, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cedric Watson, Dom Flemons. They're really great. It's a kind of old timey revival.
The banjo today could not be further from the instrument played by slaves. That is like comparing a modern compound bow to the bow used by native tribes in the amazon. The american banjo is its own instrument, trying to give africans credit for it is ridiculous.
@@richardgredwulf-cronley3858 What ridiculous logic, if you think it bears no resemblance you have no knowledge about insturments. Banjo experts who have experience with the West African predecessors will tell you how much they share in common, INCLUDING THE ONES IN THE VIDEO FFS. By that logic the electric guitar isn't related to the Spanish classical guitar, modern computers have no connection to their vaccum tube forebears and Cannons have no connection to modern artillery. Human technology develops with time and denying a technologies direct ancedentents is willful ignorance. By your logic only the person or society who deserves any credit is the one who has most recently tweaked some technology. I'm assuming you think Elon musk invented the electric car.
Wow! Just wow! Bela Fleck. One of favorite artists. Thanks Sound Field for bringing him on.
I love this! The banjo needs all the love it can get. Thanks!
One should bear in mind, that the banjo origanally is an instrument from west africa There is a place called BANJUL. Which means STRAW, OR RUSH It came to the American continent with the african slaves-
Nahre, you correctly pronouncing Appalachia blessed me!
For other listeners who want to catch that good pronunciation, it's at 9:58
First I've ever heard it said correctly outside of Appalachia!
Phew good thing I read this. I was about to correct her pronunciation
@@user-ye8zk8ku7s same
@@user-ye8zk8ku7s same
You guys should do an episode on "talking drums" in West Africa (Bata, dundun, tama, etc.). People say music is a language as a metaphor, but in some situations, that's literally true.
That'd be incredibly interesting. Not sure if their budget or scope could accommodate it. Then again they never fail to impress me.
@@nedisahonkey True. There are definitely some people here in the US who play those instruments. Here's a guy in Atlanta: th-cam.com/video/B4oQJZ2TEVI/w-d-xo.html
The Black Pather soundtrack made use of them as a motif for the main character, really made the sound of the movie
Yep tonal language + drums that can be played melodically. This is what makes the blues so wonderful, BTW.
great idea.... plus their “call back” singing... i could listen to their drums and call back for hours
My mom and dad got tickets to see Roy Clark when I was 3 or 4. The sitter never showed up that night. Dad wasn't about to miss Roy Clark so, they stuffed some cotton in my ears and, I got to go with them. It didn't take long for me to give my pop the slip. I always went my own way my aunt said I was so bad, my mom would hook a leash to my belt at times so she could grocery shop. They didn't bring it that night though and first chance, I snuck right up front. It was magical. The rest of the people melted away and it felt like he was playing just for me. The music made me laugh and dance. His smile was impossible not to return. I think he may have been a little charmed by me too. When he finished, I wasn't having any of that! My little face all hopeful, big brown eyes begging like a starving dog. Half a bubble off a tear; "Please mister, play me more?" He played 5 more songs and I was delighted. Seeing Roy Clark playing banjo and guitar is not only a good memory, it's my first. Looking back, I feel a little bad for the freak out my parents must have been going through. But seeing my next real memory I have is my brother pushing me out of a tree and breaking my arm, I can live with their trauma.
LambentLark for some reason this comment moved me to tears. thank you for sharing!
Very nicely stated. My son was similarly enthralled when he first saw a banjo being played and now in his mid-twenties is an awesome player and is doing things I don't hear anyone else doing in it. Seeing Earl Scruggs and then a few Reno style players really pulled him in and he focused on doing Reno style for a long time.
Wow! Guys, this was amazing video! I am from Bulgaria, a country proud with its traditional music, dances, ways of singing, but bluegrass, country music and southern gothic music are the styles I am starting to work with now. Thank you for this awesome content!!!
Bela can take a lot of credit for its comeback honestly. As a musician I kinda liked bluegrass and only really accepted it in that genre. Then I heard the Flecktones and was completely BLOWN away as I liked jazz as well. I've been a Flecktones fan ever since and Victor Wooten's playing has been an inspiration to me for quite some time. I still remember hearing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones for the first time on the Tonight Show. They are still amazing!
My college girlfriend worked for his publicist, so I got to see the Flecktones play, supporting the UFO Tofu album. I'd never heard of them, but I'd loved the banjo since I was a kid. I had no idea just how good all of them were going to be.
At one point (probably after Wooten played Amazing Grace in harmonics while also playing the bass line), I turned to a guy behind me and said "Ya know--that bass player's really good!" He laughed and said "Brother--he's the reason half the crowd is here right now!" ;-)
Come from a family of black musicians and Im proud to be a part of their legacy.
I think Bach would have loved the banjo. It's got a clear, precise sound.
Sure! th-cam.com/video/Xg_GA4per8g/w-d-xo.html
The sound is not entirely unlike the harpsichord.
Very enjoyable, very well put together. It all comes down to what Dante said: 'I like the sound and it's fun to play'.
Bela Fleck! I friggin love bela fleck
Love Bela can’t stand Abigail.
Chance1957
What’s wrong with you?
I got to do monitors for the Flecktones in the '90s in Madison WI. THE BEST SHOW EVER! And I got to listen to them up close. The things I heard on my headphones was AMAZING! Bela was the nicest person. Jazz banjo...yeah!
Béla is a legend, i saw him with the flecktones live once, probably one of the greatest groups of musicians ever to exist, also he has the absolute best bassist in the world imo : victor wooten
That's no lie!
I'm afraid to say that, in the opinions of many of today's top musicians, Victor Wooten has been overshadowed by a hugely talented young man called Charles Berthoud and I have to say, they may well be right.
My favorite thing about the banjo and folk music in general is the range of emotion it can convey. It can be happy go lucky in care free or it can be beautifully sorrowful and melancholy
I love the way Ms. Washburn plays. It’s just lovely.
A vastly underappreciated instrument. When my son was three, I was showing him some Bela Fleck, and he wanted to know who was playing the "barn guitar" He's had a fascination with it since, and he loved this episode too! Good stuff. Love you guys! 👍✌️❤️🤘
The lady who sang at 1:00, her voice gave me the chills. Absolutely heavenly. :o
Abigail Washburn. She's Bela Fleck's wife, and she's amazing.
@@Kaotiqua , her voice would fit right in with the style of Celtic folksingers such as Maddy Prior, June Tabor and Sandy Denny ,( may she rest in peace,). A lot of music from the British Isles was brought to Appalachia by Scottish and Irish immigrants, and became endemic to the region, pretty much unchanged, for several hundred years.
Anyone know the song she sang?
Bloomin Rose
Since watching this video the algorithm is blessing me with banjo videos almost everyday.
Praise be to the algorithm!
Wow, as a public school music teacher and a fan of folk and roots music, I have to say this was one great video. Thank you!
You should show us in class!
I remember first seeing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show on Feb. 5th 1992, and just 5 days later he played The Belly Up Tavern, a local San Diego area music scene. I was shocked that a guest on Carson would be in such an intimate venue, when I would normally expect first-time guests to be instantly launched into the firmament.
Fleck himself was beyond mind-blowing, but so was his entire band. Most notably, the bassist was the incomparable Victor Wooten. During a break he came out and played a bass rendition of a classical piece (Bach, IIRC) that made the normally raucous bar completely silent, to the point that the bartenders stopped pouring drinks or using the cash register. The silence lingered long after Victor's last note completely faded away. After which we all "exhaled loudly". Bela wasn't the only virtuoso in the house!
Victor's brother Roy, the funky pirate-hatted "Future Man" himself, played the drumitar. Something you must see to believe. I literally lack the words. Then there was Howard Levy, who played "everything else" including keyboards, harmonica, guitar, flute, and more. I believe he also acted as the de-facto musical director, keeping the band focused and in the groove, yet on their toes by tossing in improvised phrases to spice things up (as did everyone, but Howard's were special).
That Carson show was the first time I realized I absolutely needed a better sound system for my TV (banjo brought out the worst in my speakers). And that Belly Up show was the first time I had been so close to true musical greatness, a huge step up from the awesome bands and terrific musicians that always played there. Bela totally upgraded my musical existence, and I haven't looked back since.
Thanks for the informative comment,
I'm a belgian Bluegrass and Old Time music player/listener and this video truly helped me on a work I'm doing for my last school year, thanks !
Was very amused to learn that the guy who gave me my first-ever banjo lesson actually wrote this episode.
The masters of banjo indeed! Abigail vocals are so incredible!
Their kid is gonna be a banjo legend
Love this channel. Love the diversity of music you cover! Theres so much underappreciated music in the world
This is a great overview of centuries of history in a few minutes. Hearing more of the big banjo would be more than welcome!
Thank you Nahre🙂 It’s always so enlightening to hear you talk about music or here of it’s history
I'm so happy I bought a banjo!!!!!! Can't wait to be as good as Bela Fleck ( i have all my life plus several more to learn!)!
This is one of my favorite episodes out of the last few, for sure!
I love how the description, "A drum head with a neck" perfectly describes the sound of a banjo to me. Awesome episode as always! Would love to see future videos, if you do more on specific cultural instruments, of things like the ocarina, sitar, or even didgeridoo!
The history of the banjo is fascinating. The American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City is a super cool place to check out if your ever in the area.
Now you’re getting private lessons from Bela Fleck. What a cool gig.
I just became obsessed with Banjo after years of guitar playing.Thanks so much for the video. I love the song Abigail sings Bloomin' Rose! It's so pretty I had to find it and download it along with several other songs. :D
Great video and so cool that you got to interview Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn 🤩🤩
A fretless banjo? YES! I'm definitely taking up the banjo now!
Everyone should listen to Béla Fleck's album Tabula Rasa with virtuosos of eastern music. Brilliant listen
Loved seeing Nahre Sol talking to Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn. This is great.
I love seeing Nahre go from pianist extraordinaire, to banjo beginner! Did it feel weird going from a keyboard to a stringed instrument?
Nahre here! Yes it was totally weird!! But I really had fun with it :)
Every time I hear the banjo I have the early memory of Roy Clark playing both 4-string and 5-string banjos durring the 60"s and 70's..😃
Wow - that rendition of "Bloomin' Rose" in the beginning was amazing. Had never heard it before - what a voice! And the melody's very "Irish" skips and cadences together with the more "American" ending to the phrase in the chorus... wonderful! Thanks for bringing more great music and its history to my attention, Nahre! :)
I’ve been looking forward to this moment for weeks since you released the teaser excerpt of it! Amazingly informative and constantly exploratory as always! I can’t even believe how much depth every single genre has that I feel regretful that I discovered them late! Thank you so much crew for opening that third ear as always! 😊🙏🎉🙌
Bati is back!
Love you guys, every video you bring out is amazing! Also, thanks for introducing us to these musicians, Abigail Washburn has an amazing voice!
I would love to see a whole series of these kinds of videos, where you travel around the world with each episode focused on a different somewhat unique, non-mainstream instrument. Exploring the different kinds of playing styles, the histories of it, and how it is making a comeback in modern music.
Theres a band here in Pittsburgh that plays old timey jazz tunes, as the old big bands used banjos before guitars went amplified, its 2 banjos and a standup bass and the soloist is CRAZYY
There is a bigger banjo...
I really want to hear that banjo being played, now. That's got to be a curious sound.
Edit: Yes, it is a curious sound.
th-cam.com/video/74bYq6G471k/w-d-xo.html
Does it play infrasounds, or why wasn't that in the video?
@@brianmcdonald42 'and is ten times the size of any ordinary bandi-o!'
@@brianmcdonald42 great find mate! Thanks for sharing :D
There's always a bigger banjo
Thank you Abigail and Be'la for putting the good word out on Banjo's. Looking forward to seeing you all in may '20.
I'm a clawhammer banjo player! Thank you for talking about banjo.
Saw bela and Abigail awhile back. One of the most personal sets I've ever witnessed. Such beauty
have to say this is an excellent video with a lot of perspectives on the banjo most people don't see, awesome stuff.
Bela is the best! I still am not over the live show at the Quick, i watched that video a thousand times!
Nahre is always a joy to watch ! I wish she was my music teacher!!
My great grandfather and my great uncle used to make mountain banjos and dulcimers, so I know a little bit about them and know it would take me a long time to make one like they did.
Glad I saw this in my feed, it brought back good memories. I was fortunate to see Bela Fleck in concert with Edgar Meyer (or the other way around!) at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, MI. It was one of the best, if not the best, concert I have ever seen and I will not forget it.
Aside from my ears, I know little about music and less about banjos. So, this is brilliant. Well done!
thank you for sharing this video!im geting a banjo in a week ive been playing electric guitar for 6 months now and cant wait to give the banjo a whirl once again thank you for the history your talent and insperation
WOW!!!! I REALLY LOVE ABIGAIL'S WONDERFUL VOICE!..... BANJO MUSIC IS AWESOME!!!
I am a guitar player that has played for 50yrs. I played in prog rock and jazz fusion bands as a guitarist in the 70's to 90's, when I heard Bela Fleck and the Fleck Tones in the 90"s I could not believe how good this music and playing was. It does not matter what instrument you are playing, if you are a good and can write good music you will be heard!!!
An episode on the pedal steel would be incredible
She has such a beautiful voice too.
Fantastic! Thanks for the history as well as the wonderful examples! -Kate in Gustavus, Alaska in the Everyone Welcome Library Band
great interview, nahre. so much interesting history. i just started learning to play the banjo a few months ago.... there is such a cool community for banjo players, and always something new to learn. also, that is a badass banjo.... well done, pbs. thanks for making his video. time for me to practice....
Nahre, thank you so much for doing this. As a jazz musician and passionate (if not that great) banjo player, I'm glad more people are seeing just how wide the banjo can go.
If you're looking for a banjo that's entirely different from what you know, look up Punch Brothers. (I think Nahre would really like them too). I really like Who's Feeling Young Now. It's a bunch of the best bluegrass players alive today playing anything that's not bluegrass. A lot of alt rock kind of vibes.
The banjo player's name is Noam Pikelny, and he's absolutely one of the best banjo players alive today.
What a great compilation of banjo history. Well done.
I’m in love with the curly haired woman who sings like an angel
R B. Bella’s wife Abigaile.
I'm still learning banjo! (Haven't practiced in a while tho, lmao) So happy to see this episode!
At 2:20 the banjo abigail is playing is called a cello banjo by Gold Tone music group.
I would love to see a "reaction video" of Nahre and LA watching clips from "Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Live at The Quick". Has to be the most eclectic combination of instruments I've ever seen/heard.
Nahre, you make such beautiful and interesting videos!
was lucky enough to have he and the flecktones show up at college for a free symposium before lunch hour, we all skipped class of course, futureman teaching 9/16 on his knees while speaking to the crowd at the same time. ive never since seen such musicianship ...if thats even a word, and humility. shook hands, answered questions, played a hell of a show that night at the auditorium. i may be old, but this music is ageless...
Thanks so much for this! Talk about legitimizing the banjo, no one could have been a greater ambassador than Bela Fleck. I can still remember clearly the first time I heard him play. Our young family was shopping for a television 40+ years ago. Over the intercom cam a tune called UFO TOFU, and after that I couldn’t get enough. And Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum from The Children’s Corner blew me away. Such different sounds from a master.
I grew up in Asheville NC and often saw béla fleck at bluegrass festivals. I've got bluegrass in my blood now.
Man I love Sound Field. My Dad is big on 60s American folk (Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, etc), so the banjo kinda reminds me of him and the music he plays in the car. My favourite use of the banjo, though, has gotta be Journey of the Sorcerer, the theme tune to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Combined with the space-age synths and wooshes, it gives the tune this ethereal yet somehow also earthy vibe.
Also, Dante Limon is one of the coolest names I've ever heard.
well, look who it is!
This is such a brilliantly eclectic series! Thank you!
The Flecktones Live at the Quick album is so phenomenal, and is one of my favorites.
Also, I saw Rhiannon Giddens with Dirk Powell last month, and that was a killer show where no song was in same genre as any other song. Dirk picked up an accordion and played a Cajun waltz, and then Rhiannon sang a Gaelic song. Her nephew went up and rapped while band grooved behind him. They played a song in the vein of Carole King, a gospel song, a swamp pop song... And every performance was solid gold. I noticed there was a lot of communication that made me realize this was very off-the-cuff, and in fact learned afterwards that this show was never rehearsed.
I think of my Pa (grandfather), who used to play the banjo.
great video! thanks for all your work and sharing lovely stories :--)
-Lucas
Man, PBS is really killin' it with this one! Great video and super informative too!
Wow. I have to say, I’d probably give up a big toe for a banjo lesson from Bela Fleck.
What a great video! I could've sat here and watched an hour plus doco on the banjo. Thanks heaps! :D
loved seeing Nahre playing ! Thanks for the vid ! I also learned a lot of things about this instrument ^^
Thank you!!! - Nahre
I've only seen it though media, like movies, TV series and videogames, but it makes quite a pleasing sound
A banjo lesson from Bela, you've been blessed by the gods!
Awesome little history of our little instrument!
thank you for always doing such a understandable and in-depth job on whatever subject you take on. Ever considered to dip into the "genre" of aphex twin? I'd love to see that stuff explained by you!
Holy shit, Béla and Abigail are legends!
Edit: and you mentioned Rihannon Giddens? What a great episode. Thank you for what you do.
It may have African roots, but the Banjo that we know today today was developed in America and an instrument that Americans regardless of race(African-American, white Americans) can lay a claim on