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MUSIC FOR TWO
(Sony Classical)
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After the success of Perpetual Motion in 2001, it’s no surprise that Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer set out to capture their innovative fusion of jazz, classical, and bluegrass in a compilation of live recordings over a series of three two-week tours from October 2001 to September 2003. Whether interpreting selections from The Well-Tempered Clavier, improvising over the changes from Miles Davis’s "Solar," or reworking the melody from "Communication" (a track recorded with Dave Matthews on the Flecktones’ 1998 Grammy-winning Left of Cool), these virtuosos of banjo and bass, respectively, achieve a harmonious balance between paying homage to the classical tradition and continuing to push the envelope. The set’s 40-minute bonus DVD, Obstinato (shot by Fleck’s brother, filmmaker Sascha Paladino), gives viewers a gritty, behind-the-scenes look at life on tour, from hotel rooms to highway driving to last-minute disagreements during intermissions, while also tracing the duo’s struggle to master Meyer’s demanding "Canon," a fast and furious round in 15/8, and showing just how much the interweaving of melodic, Baroque-style banjo improvisations and driving, rhythmic bass patterns on the album reflects the synergy that develops between the two personalities in their time spent off stage. (Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer perform this Sunday, May 23, at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts; call 617-496-2222.)
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