On January 9, 2022, 15-time Grammy winner Béla Fleck will be celebrating his acclaimed, multi-generational album My Bluegrass Heart (Renew Records / BMG) with a hometown show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Tickets are on sale now, and the show is presented by Absolutely Live Entertainment.
“Calling something the ‘concert of a lifetime’ sure sounds like hype, and in many cases it would be,” says Fleck, who was born and raised in New York City. “But not this time! At least for my world and my music, this is an unprecedented opportunity to bring some of the brightest instrumental lights in bluegrass—or any other music for that matter—to the incredible Carnegie Hall stage.”
The night will feature new super stars of the music such as Chris Thile and Billy Strings, the legendary Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan, as well as members of the next wave of virtuoso players, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle and Michael Cleveland. Fleck adds, “It’s a dream come true for me, and I can’t wait!”
My Bluegrass Heart marks the third chapter in a decades-spanning trilogy that began with 1988’s Drive and continued in 1999 with The Bluegrass Sessions. Produced and written by Fleck, My Bluegrass Heart continues the tradition of sharing music between generations.
The album debuted at #1 on the Bluegrass Album Chart and #3 on the American / Folk Album Chart. Give it a listen here. For vinyl and more, see BelaFleck.com.
Watch the new video for “Psalm 136” a stand-out duo from My Bluegrass Heart, performed by Fleck and Chris Thile.
Fleck remembers how the song came together: “Late one night after recording all day together with Billy Strings, I asked Chris if he’d consider doing one more song together, a duo. At the far end of the song, I promised a fantastic Meursault would be opened. He agreed and we proceeded to learn, arrange and record “Psalm 136.”
“Before the dawn’s early light grazed the front window panes, we had this track down and we were enjoying the bottle, which lived up to its rep. I was first exposed to this melody on an album called Jewish Uganda, and I fell for the sound of the kids singing this simple melody. Eventually I learned the theme, and it naturally led to some new composing of ideas that went with it. Chris of course took it to the moon, as he is wont to do.”
“In my opinion, Béla Fleck is one of the most important musicians of all time,” adds Billy Strings. “He bridges the gap between bluegrass, classical, jazz, world music, and everything in between. It seems like there’s no limit to what he can achieve on the banjo.”
Check out Glide’s recent two part interview with Bela here
