A conversation with Béla Fleck

It’s unlikely that we’ll see a Banjo Hero video game any time soon, but if there ever were one, the final challenge would almost certainly be a finger-picking showdown with Béla Fleck. Few artists have done so much so well with any single instrument, let alone one as typecast as the banjo. His latest project is a collaboration with two other world-renowned musicians, tabla player Zakir Hussain and composer and double-bassist Edgar Meyer, who will perform selections from their forthcoming album, “The Melody of Rhythm,” Thursday night at Royce Hall. Fleck spoke via e-mail with the Daily Bruin’s reporter Alex Goodman about banjos, his new project and Steve Martin.

Beverly Hillbillies as inspiration

Your average kid doesn’t imagine himself growing up to be a banjo player, but Fleck wasn’t your average kid: “I just fell in love with (the banjo) the first time I heard it on TV ““ it was the Beverly Hillbillies theme song.” He’s played now for 36 years, but Fleck feels he hasn’t even come close to exhausting the possibilities for his instrument: “I am just getting started! There is so much still to learn and attempt.”

Banjo speaks for itself

Fleck’s career is a testament to the underestimated versatility and creative possibilities of the banjo. He’s most famous for his work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, who combine bluegrass and jazz fusion, but he’s been nominated for Grammys in more categories than anyone else in the award’s history.

Still, his instrument is not often held in high regard. This doesn’t bother Fleck: “The banjo is a big part of my life, but I don’t expect it to be that for most people. … Mostly I’d prefer for people to connect with the actual music I make, and I hope there is a place for it in their life. Playing music is an artistic pursuit, so if it doesn’t evoke feelings, perhaps the point is being missed.”

If people still assign less-than-reverent connotations to the banjo, he’s OK with that, too: “I embrace the “˜fun’ part of the banjo’s personality, but I also love more serious music. I think the music must speak for itself, and you can’t be upset if people hear it in different ways. So I try to do the things I really like and hope that they will be appreciated.”

“Big fun and big learnings”

Fleck has been friends with Meyer since the early 1980s, but Hussain only recently joined their socio-musical circle. He and Meyer, both fans of Hussain’s work, invited the tabla player to write a concerto with them, and the result was quite rewarding for Fleck:

“I love guys who play in unusual ways on their instruments yet still have a lot of musicality and warmth. I think we understand each other’s desire to make real music despite the unusual instruments. For me, it is great to combine my curiosity about rhythms and modern harmony in the same group. Edgar and Zakir both have a lot to teach me.” The collaboration, in addition to taking his career in yet another musical direction, provided “big fun and big learnings.”

Funny connections

Fleck has been a rather lonely icon of the banjo-playing world, but he might finally have some help from a rather unusual ambassador. Comedian Steve Martin’s banjo album, “The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo,” generated a surprising amount of attention when it was released earlier this year, and Fleck understood the appeal: “Steve has managed to make a banjo album that connects with a lot of people who wouldn’t normally listen to or like banjo music. Very few banjo players would make such a listenable record. He is a fine player and writes very catchy and sweet banjo tunes.”

E-mail Goodman at [email protected].