Bandology

Bela Fleck And The Flecktones

1990-. Originally with Howard Levy and Victor and Roy Wooten, now with just the Wootens, the Flecktones play original jazz instrumental music. They have released five albums on the Warner Brothers label:

1990: Bela Fleck And The Flecktones
1991: Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo
1992: UFO TOFU
1994: 3 Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
1996: Live Art

Solo

1980-. Accompanied by a who's who of acoustic music and, later, of jazz, Bela's solo albums have consistently forged ground in technique, style and have showcased Bela's growth as an artist. Bela currently has eight solo albums and two compilations.

Unique Projects

1996. Bela recorded two albums in 1996 that aren't really Bela Fleck albums, but they feature him in more than a guest role. Those are a mixture of Eastern and Western music on Tabula Rasa, and Flamenco music on Curandero.

New Grass Revival

1980-1989. Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Pat Flynn and John Cowan crafted a unique sound in the decade this formation of NGR was together. Their hard-edged blend of bluegrass, rock and soul won them many fans and their dissolution was widely mourned. They have five albums and two compilations, from the period Bela was with them.

Strength In Numbers

1989. After playing together at festivals and on each other's albums, they finally recorded a CD together: Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor. The music is fabulous, and it is an outstanding work of New Acoustic music.

The Dreadful Snakes

1983. The band which occasionally played together at the Station Inn in Nashville recorded only one strong album of traditional-grounded bluegrass music. Jerry Douglas, Pat Enright, Blain Sprouse, Mark Hembree, Roland White and (of course) Bela Fleck are stellar musicians in their own right, and the fact that they only recorded once is a sad one.

Spectrum

1979-1981. With Mark Schatz, Glenn Lawson, Jimmy Gaudreau and Jimmy Mattingly, Bela's Scruggs playing got a workout in this bluegrass-oriented band. Progressive, and featuring a wide selection of material, Spectrum's three albums are for the non-traditional bluegrass listener.

Tasty Licks

[?]. Lead by Jack Tottle, Tasty Licks played bluegrass with an energy and creativity that was ahead of its time. Their two albums are, again, for the non-traditional bluegrass listener.