I’m ashamed to admit that the first I heard of Béla Fleck was in collaboration with Virginian rock giants Dave Matthews Band.

Not that there’s anything at all wrong with DMB; rather, my chagrin is due because Fleck’s own remarkable career had completely escaped my attention. He is regarded as one of the greatest banjo players on the planet, and across 40 years has performed alongside some of the finest musicians you’d care to list – including his similarly talented wife, Abigail Washburn. With their performance at City Recital Hall now upon us, it seems a fine time for the New York native to reflect on his storied development.

“We [and DMB] are cut from similar cloth, are similar ages, and love a lot of the same things,” Fleck explains. “But [others]? Oh, tough! Start with New Grass Revival, and move on to my other bluegrass heroes and friends – Sam Bush, Mark O’Connor, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Tony Rice, et cetera. Then there’s The Flecktones, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain, then there’s Chick Corea, and Chris Thile, and Abby – all of whom I play in duos with. And then there’s my African collaborators Oumou [Sangare] and Toumani [Diabate], and others, and all the orchestras I’ve been playing with in the last six or seven years, and then there’s Dave Mathews… yikes, I’m stopping here. I am truly the most fortunate musician ever!”

Fortunate, certainly, though the collaborations and opportunities Fleck has been afforded have come from a rather exhaustive work ethic. Fleck is a quintessential restless musician, wandering across entire continents in the pursuit of his sound. It’s not a shabby path for someone who first had their musical calling while watching, of all things, The Beverly Hillbillies. It was there the young Fleck was first exposed to banjo virtuoso Earl Scruggs, revealing a musical road he still travels. Between this, and an upbringing surrounded by song, it seems somewhat inevitable that the Fleck of today is so celebrated.

“I remember [the magic] every single time I hear that piece again. That is the magic of Earl Scruggs’ timeless playing. It’s a high-tech primitive sound – incredibly virtuosic, but seemingly from the dawn of time,” Fleck says. “I was named after Hungarian composers by my father. But he and my mom split when I was a year or so old, and I didn’t meet him till I was in my 40s. So he wasn’t a musical influence. Luckily there was a stepdad, and he was a cellist who loved to have people over to play string quartets. Another big influence was my big brother Louie, who was in the know about music of the day. We were both Beatles freaks, and he often turned me on to all kinds of music. When I turned 15 my grandfather got me a banjo, little realising that it was my secret dream instrument.”

There is, of course, a wonderful irony that an instrument that was largely absent from popular music throughout the ’80s and ’90s has re-emerged as the de rigueur addition to many a band. Exactly why that is, however, is hard to define. The sound is certainly distinct, full of colour and personality, and no doubt eased into contemporary culture by the likes of The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. Fleck has his own ideas of why the banjo has enjoyed such a resurgence, and it’s something that will be clearly showcased at Angel Place.

“The banjo tends to lend authenticity to music, whether the music deserves it or not. I think if folks make great music with the banjo, the concept is a success. If not, it’s a failure. And these judgements of quality are entirely subjective. “[In Sydney] we will be performing music from our duo repertoire, which includes a few from Abby’s and my catalogue, but focuses mostly on what we think we can do as couple. Murder ballads always show up. There are two of us and six or seven banjos along, so I wouldn’t expect the type of sound from the bands with drums that Abby and I have had, but rather a very stripped-down and acoustic presentation.”

This will also make for a rather lightning Australian tour for the bluegrass duo, taking in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. It makes me wonder if Fleck is the variety of songwriter who might take inspiration from the road: if geography factors in as an influence on his art, if certain countries might provoke certain styles, certain sounds. In essence, I want to know if Béla Fleck is man, or sponge.

“It depends! Sometimes a location can impact me, and sometimes not. The sound of the venue, feel of the audience’s responsiveness, and quality of their attention can be as important as the country we are in. But I do like the idea of being responsive to where we are. Although our son Juno is not in the show, his arrival has resulted in a complete change in our touring lives. He is always with us, we tour with a nanny, and for most of the year we tour together as a family. Disgustingly awesome!”

TheCity Recital Hall plays host toBéla Fleck & Abigail Washburn on Monday August 15.

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