Bela Fleck and The Flecktones Celebrate The Season With Their HOLIDAY TOUR

Béla Fleck and The Flecktones will bring their distinctive and beautiful holiday sound to the Phillips Center Sunday, December 6 for their Holiday Tour, featuring Victor Lemonte Wooten, Future Man and Jeff Coffin. The performance will transform traditional holiday music and standards into brilliantly expressive soundscapes from their Grammy-Award winning CD Jingle All The Way.
Béla Fleck is often considered the premiere banjo player in the world. A New York City native (named after composer Béla Bartok), he picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. While still in high school he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, and in 1980, he released his first solo album, Crossing the Tracks, which ranged from straight ahead bluegrass to Chick Corea's jazz opus Spain. In 1982 Fleck joined the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, and has made a name for himself on countless solo and ensemble projects ever since as a virtuoso instrumentalist unbounded by genre.

In 1989 Béla Fleck formed the Flecktones, with members equally talented and adventurous as Fleck himself. They made their recording debut in 1990, playing a "blu-bop" mix of jazz and bluegrass that has become both critically acclaimed and wildly popular. Béla and the Flecktones have received 18 Grammy® awards between them, and perform before more than 500,000 people annually. Béla has received more Grammy nominations in more diverse categories than any other musician in history.

The Flecktones - Victor Lemonte Wooten on electric bass, Jeff Coffin on sax and flute, and Future Man on percussion, including his custom synth-axe drumitar - are much more than just a backing band. Each member is given space in the arrangements to put his own stamp on each tune, and each takes turns supporting and trading off with the other instruments as in the best jazz combos. Their ability to solo as well as their in-the-pocket ensemble playing makes them a breathtaking as well as groundbreaking band.

Since their 1990 debut Béla Fleck & The Flecktones have released a string of Grammy award-winning albums and delighted audiences around the world with their unique combination of musical creativity, technical prowess, and occasional zaniness. All three facets of the band are on full display on their Grammy award-winning CD Jingle All the Way, an album chock full of Christmas and holiday music as it's never been heard before. Though the melodies may be familiar, the varied tonal textures (banjo, Tuvan throat singing, funky electric bass and percussion, klezmer mandolin) and rhythmic interplay make every measure new.

Ticket Prices: $34 - $55.25

Web sites:
University of Florida Performing Arts: www.performingarts.ufl.edu
Béla Fleck and The Flecktones: www.flecktones.com

To Purchase tickets, call the Phillips Center Box Office at 352-392-ARTS (2787) or 800-905-ARTS (toll-free within Florida) or call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 (toll-free). Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Phillips Center Box Office, the University Box Office at the University of Florida Reitz Union or from any Ticketmaster outlet, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

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