Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, along with Natalie MacMaster and the Del McCoury Band, will bring the Acoustic Planet Tour: Volume II to the Green at Shelburne Museum (just outside Burlington, Vt.) tonight. The Flecktones, widely hailed as the first band to successfully merge jazz and bluegrass, also headlined the first Acoustic Planet Tour in 2004, and MacMaster and the Del McCoury Band join them for their east coast concert dates as they revisit the tour this summer.
Fleck, who has received Grammy nominations in more different categories (eight in total) than any other artist in the award show's history, has won for classical, pop, country and jazz, including awards for composition and arrangement. He and brother act Victor Wooten (bass) and Roy "Future Man" Wooten (Synthaxe Drumitar and acoustic drums) have been playing together for 17 years, with Jeff Coffin (sax, flute, horn, percussion) joining the band in 1998. Future Man has garnered much attention for inventing the Drumitar, a guitar-shaped instrument that can replicate the sounds of an entire drum kit.
Fleck, a virtuoso banjo player, describes the Flecktones' music as "a mixture of acoustic and electronic music with a lot of roots in folk and bluegrass as well as funk and jazz." In February the Flecktones released their twelfth album, "The Hidden Land," to widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. They began touring in January after a yearlong hiatus and will conclude the Acoustic Planet II tour in Pennsylvania next month.
Also at tonight's show, well-known Canadian performer Natalie MacMaster skillfully blends American bluegrass with Scottish fiddle music. Credited with helping Celtic music achieve its contemporary prominence, MacMaster has exposed many listeners to traditional East Coast music for the first time. Her creative and groundbreaking albums have won her fans across North America and around the world.
"Irish music affects me ... because those are the sounds and instruments that I've heard since I was a child. It's the same thing with bluegrass music, which has many of the same sounds and instruments. And, in a way, bluegrass musicians play reels, breakdowns and jigs too, so it's all very similar," MacMaster said.
She has won two Juno Awards, as well as several "Artist of the Year" awards from the East Coast Music Association. In 2005 she was honored with "Best Female Artist of the Year" and "Best Roots/Traditional Solo Recording." She has also won the Canadian Country Music Association's "Fiddler of the Year" award.
MacMaster's most recent album, 2003's "Blueprint," featured guest performances by Fleck and Victor Wooten as well as Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and a number of other artists. She plans to release her next album, entitled "Yours Truly," in the fall.
Rounding out the Acoustic Planet II tour is the Del McCoury Band, which originally formed in the late 1960s. Guitarist McCoury has been fronting the band since its inception. Today, the lineup includes his two sons Ronnie and Rob on mandolin and banjo, respectively, as well as Alan Bartram on bass and Jason Carter on fiddle.
Having enjoyed an illustrious and successful music career spanning more than 40 years, McCoury continues to make inspired and passionate contributions to bluegrass. Few artists today can match his longevity and lasting relevance to the evolving music scene. In February, the band took home the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy for "The Company We Keep," and McCoury shows no signs of slowing down. The San Francisco Chronicle has hailed the band as "acknowledged contemporary masters of traditional bluegrass," and their most recent album, "The Promised Land," certainly proves their claim on such a title. McCoury's first all-gospel album, "The Promised Land" showcases his band's gift for intricate vocal harmonies as well as each of the members' instrumental mastery.
The Del McCoury Band have performed, recorded with and influenced many well known artists over the years, including Phish, String Cheese Incident and Steve Earl. They have also appeared at the Newport Folk Festival and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
In short, the Acoustic Planet II Tour showcases some of bluegrass' brightest and best. Don't miss it.
Gates are at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are $44. To purchase tickets, contact Higher Ground at (802) 652-0777.
