This night it was all about the groove..in fact, a close look at Wooten’s effects rack before the gig revealed a scrolling “git the groove” marquee rolling across his display. Bela on electric and acoustic banjo stood alongside Victor Wooten on 4 and 5 string fretted and fretless basses, Future Man on Drumitar, percussion and standard acoustic drums and Howard Levy on grand piano and more harmonicas than I could count. Extras this night included the phenomenal Casey Driessen on fiddle and Bela’s new wife Abigail Washburn, who came on during the last song to sing and round out this extraordinary night of music.

Of note is the honorary Doctorate of Music awarded Bela in May this year by Bowdoin College. Congratulations from all of us here at HMR Dr. Fleck!

The new record Rocket Science was the main course and if you haven’t heard it yet, this would be a great time to pick up a copy and get reacquainted with the band, or get acquainted if this is your first brush with them. I’ll warn you straight away, the music is different but that’s the part that intrigues me the most. It IS different, it’s basically instrumental jazz, but it’s not outside stuff. It’s got a nice melodic bluegrass flavor mixed with a LOT of soul and funk, so get a glass of wine and settle back with some great music.

First song up was Bottle Rocket which is a well rounded tune and featured Howard on harmonica so right away we got into it with a mix of good humored BouncyBlueJazzFunkyStuff (My word, not theirs..but it works, sorta.. kinda .. I guess). They’ve toured all year so the segues were tight and they were right into Nemo’s Dream from 1992’s UFO Tofu record before I knew it.

Any Fleck show isn’t complete without a Vic Wooten solo and this night was no different and just as easy as that, the lights centered on Wooten and his 4 string Fodora while he showed us why he’s considered one of the world’s foremost electric bassists with Sex in a Pan and Life at Eleven from the new record. I hope it gets printed, there’s a shot of Vic looking into my camera with this “So you want some bass huh?” look in his eye.   Priceless! By this time the audience was eating out of the band’s hand..they had connected world class without ever having to say so.

Following this were Earthling Parade from Rocket Science and Big Country. Big Country was a Bela composition from Left of Cool which featured Levy playing harmonica on the part initially played by Jeff Coffin on sax on the record. Earthling Parade is totally Flecktones abstract and came complete with progress narrative by Bela himself. “We’re about half done now”. It was kinda like asking the musical question “How many different sounds can we cram into about 5 minutes and get away with it?”. Incredibly controlled explosion.

The second set proved to be just as well crafted and masterfully unpredictable as the first with the mix of about half from the new and half from earlier records. Blu-bop led off from the classic Flight of the Cosmic Hippo released in 1991. Yanno, I thought I heard the Cosmic Hippo make a cameo or two throughout the night, but he was fleeting and never really landed. I know he was there in spirit, but that was one tune I would have liked seen worked into the setlist.

Prickly Pear and Sweet Pomegranates featuring Future Man also from the new project came next. Future Man plays his own invention called a Drumitar which was totally reworked and improved for this new project and tour. He’s obviously mastered it and weaves layers upon layers of world rhythms and percussive overlays. He’ll play the Drumitar and the standard acoustic drums together and the effect is so precisely stated that you don’t notice what you just noticed was incredible.

Sunset Road came next from 2008’s Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, then over to Flying Saucer Dudes from Cosmic Hippo and back to Rocket Science with Falani and ending with Sinister Minister from Bela Fleck and The Flecktones.

Abigale Washburn, Bela’s new wife and accomplished musician in her own right happened to be on hand and encored with the band to end the evening on a decidedly bluegrass note with Casey Driessen following on with some brilliant fiddle. Casey had soloed in both sets and had earned his spot on stage easily this night.

All in all, this is one concert I am so glad I was able to witness. It was like getting to know an old friend all over again and catch up after so many years. A real treat…thanks media lady, you know who you are!