Hear an interview with the banjo innovator and 19-time Grammy Award winner Béla Fleck. He emerged from the progressive bluegrass scene in the early 1980s as a member of New Grass Revival. Later that decade, he formed the Flecktones, a pioneering quartet that brought the banjo into new musical territory, blending bluegrass with jazz, funk, and experimental music. Throughout his career, Fleck has collaborated with an extraordinary range of musicians, including jazz legend Chick Corea, bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, and Indian classical music icon Zakir Hussain. For his Indianapolis appearance on November 11, Fleck returns to his bluegrass roots with My Bluegrass Heart, an all-star ensemble featuring some of the genre's leading instrumentalists, including Indiana fiddler Michael Cleveland. Béla Fleck joins host Kyle Long to discuss the late Zakir Hussain, composing a piece for banjo and string quartet to celebrate Clowes Hall’s 50th anniversary, and his experience performing with Bill Monroe.
Béla Fleck on Bill Monroe, Zakir Hussain, and his return to bluegrass
