By Minta Pavliscsak
If you have yet to hear the eclectic sounds of Béla Fleck, you don’t know what you have been missing! I am rarely at a loss for words, but when it comes to describing the experience I had when I was first officially introduced to Béla Fleck and his stringed companions, sometimes playing solo, sometimes accompanied by other musicians, all I can say is you will be doing yourself a great injustice if you do not take the opportunity to go and listen live for yourself!
This time around, complimenting his style is Béla’s talented wife, Abigail Washburn. Together they share an unstoppable sound on their Echo in the Valley Tour. Their individual passions combine so beautifully and can be felt in every line, every stanza, and every note throughout Echo in the Valley, the follow up album to their 2016 Grammy winning self-titled debut.
The duo takes their sound to new heights with their strict recording rules: all sounds must be created by the two of them, the only instruments used are banjos, and they must be able to perform every recorded song live.
The Echo in the Valley Tour will make a stop here in Charleston, South Carolina at the Charleston Music Hall on January 13th. And tickets make a great last minute Christmas gift!
We had the pleasure to catch up with Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn just after the completion of the first leg of the tour.
CD: “You’re just now wrapping up the first few cities of the tour. How has the tour been so far?”
Béla: “The tour has been wonderful, our first one since our baby Theo was born, about 6 months back. We’ve learned the ropes for how to tour with two kids in tow. It was our first duo shows since April, and it was a journey of rediscovery of our duo music and performing approach.”
CD: “What was your favorite part about making Echo in the Valley?”
Béla: I enjoyed the songwriting aspect, since I have rarely written lyrics in the past. Abby is a wonderful poetic lyricist, where I am more functional – more focused on how can I explain the story line clearly…we found a way to combine our points of view and arrived at a happy place after some back and forth. In the end we were very pleased with the collaboration – in which we retained our separate points of view and found our meeting point in the middle without sacrificing the songs integrity just to compromise.
CD: “I have tried to imagine how I might feel about it but can’t decide! Is it easier to collaborate with band members and various artists or with your significant other?”
Béla: “It is certainly different. When your partner doesn’t like your ideas, and it can feel like a personal rejection, til you get used to it. When you make it to the other side there is a healing benefit which is profound.”
CD: “Abigail, it was interesting to read about your activism work; more so the approach you have taken with it and the support you have gotten from our government. Echo in the Valley has that same “power behind music” creative approach. What message do you want your audience to take away from this album most?”
Abigail: “Pursue your unique center, seek wisdom in understanding other peoples’ viewpoint, engage in collaboration, but most importantly, build upon the beauty you see in the world.”
CD: “Is there a new special project in the works?”
Béla: “We have separate projects we are each developing, but nothing new for the duo at this time. The Echo In The Valley project really never got its full focus, since we stopped touring after 6 months or so to have a baby. There’s plenty of life left in it, lots of folks have not heard this material yet. Separately, Abby is completing a wonderful duo collab with a genius Chinese musician named Wu-Fei. I’ve been producing it, and it bridges between folk music of the US and China. I have several things brewing, one project with Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia,another with Toumani Diabate, an orchestra project and even a bluegrass idea brewing.”
CD: “Béla, a huge congratulations on your recent induction into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame! And alongside another personal favorite of mine, the late, great Mr. Jim Henson, not to exclude Borgy Borgerson and the late Eddie Collins. How was it being among these legends?”
Béla: “I loved it. I also love to sniff around all these old great banjos at
the museum. I’m happy to join the club.”
CD: “I picture a large yet simple Christmas tree, a roaring fireplace, many friends and family, and music all day and well into the night.What does Christmas day in the Fleck household look like?”
Béla: “Abby and Juno love the Xmas thing and I happily ride along, although it wasn’t my scene growing up. Historically, Abby’s family has done Xmas in a big way. They take so much joy in it that I can get behind it!”
CD: “What are you most looking forward to in 2019?”
Béla: “We both feel so fortunate to have a family that is healthy and to have the opportunity to make music together. And we have the right amount of interaction outside of the duo so we can keep it fresh. Just living the life, being home together and out on tour together sounds just great!”
A very special thank you to Abigail and Béla for giving their time so graciously to myself and Charleston Daily!
So start the New Year out on a high note and head over to the Charleston Music Hall on Sunday, January 13th! You definitely won’t want to miss this show!
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A night so memorable, so clear. A city forever a part of our lives.