Stream Béla Fleck’s George Gershwin Tribute Album ‘Rhapsody In Blue’

Banjo great Béla Fleck released his George Gershwin tribute album, Rhapsody in Blue, today. The record arrives exactly 100 years after the innovative 20th Century composer/pianist unveiled his famed piece “Rhapsody in Blue” at Aeolian Hall in New York City.

Fleck has long been fascinated with the music of his fellow New York-born musician. His interpretations of “Rhapsody in Blue” on banjo came to fruition when he noticed an aspect of how the song has long been performed on piano.

“A piano player can play ‘Rhapsody’ a lot faster than I can,” Béla stated. “But the truth is, they’ve played it so much that it sometimes gets rushed through. I’d listen and think, ‘There is so much in there but it’s going by so fast that I’m not getting it all.’ That gave me a window into a way to reinterpret those parts on banjo. It could be a new experience for listeners rather than hearing it banged out on piano for the twenty-fifth time. It might even be revelatory.”

Fleck’s Rhapsody in Blue boasts three versions of the classic work including “Rhapsody in Blue(grass),” “Rhapsody in Blue(s)” and the original arrangement featuring the Virginia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eric Jacobson. Fleck also included Gershwin’s “Rialto Ripples” on the record.

On “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)” — which features Béla’s core My Bluegrass Heart band of Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz and Bryan Sutton — the banjo master said:

“My first thought was, ‘Rhapsody in Blue(grass)’ is the most horrible idea I could ever imagine. But when we started to actually explore it, I realized that it actually sounded quite good. With the bluegrass version, we had the opportunity to stretch out, have some fun and make some different creative moves.”

“Rhapsody in Blue(s)” also contains contributions from longtime Fleck collaborators Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Victor Wooten. Additionally, Fleck previewed his Rhapsody in Blue with a previously unrecorded/unreleased Gershwin composition right in his wheelhouse, “Unidentified Piece for Banjo,” music for which was recently unearthed in the Library of Congress and brought to Fleck by his friend and Gershwin chronicler Dr. Ryan Banagale.

“To keep the authenticity of the piece, I played it on an old gut-string, five-string banjo,” Fleck said.

Stream Béla Fleck’s Rhapsody in Blue below:

A Carnegie Hall concert dubbed Rhythm, Raga & Rhapsody on May 4 will celebrate the music of Béla Fleck and will feature Fleck’s New York premiere of “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Aeolian Orchestra. The show will also see performances from the My Bluegrass Heart band, tabla master Zakir Hussain, pianist Bruce Hornsby and more.

Find ticket info on Rhythm, Raga & Rhapsody and more from Fleck’s tour schedule below: