Béla Fleck's three-movement concerto, named in honor of his son Juno, was recorded in April 2016 with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. The album is rounded out with two pieces that feature Béla with the edgy Brooklyn Rider string quartet.
While this piece follows the standard concerto form, it is a dazzling showcase for Béla's banjo that will be welcomed by his fans, and already heralded by Bluegrass Today as a breakthrough, genre-crossing work.
“For Juno Concerto, I wanted to take what I had learned from writing and performing my first concerto and apply it here. The Impostor was written in 2011 and now that I’ve had the chance to play it over 50 times, I’ve had the chance to observe what I like and what I think could be different,” says Béla. “This time I wanted to improve my writing for the orchestra, to create more and better slow music, and for the solo parts to focus on flow and things that come naturally to the banjo, rather than attempting to do the nearly impossible, constantly.”
There are some who say he is the world’s premiere banjo player. Others claim that Bela has virtually reinvented the image and sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations. The truth is he just loves to play the banjo and put it into unique settings.
He is the recipient of multiple Grammy awards and nominations going back to 1998, in fact his total Grammy count is 15 won and 30 nominations! He has been nominated in more categories than any instrumentalist in Grammy history and remains a powerfully creative force globally in bluegrass, jazz, classical pop, rock and world beat.
