Some of the Most Talented Musicians You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Some of the most talented musicians in the world are not well-known to people outside the music industry.
Here’s a good music trivia question:
What artist has been nominated in more categories than any other musician in Grammy history, and what instrument does he play?
Answer:
His name is Béla Anton Leoš Fleck, and his instrument of choice is the banjo.
Fleck is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most innovative and technically proficient banjo players . He has shared Grammy wins with Asleep at the Wheel, Alison Brown, and Edgar Meyer, and has been nominated in the Grammy categories of country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, spoken word, composition, and arranging.
To top that off, his group’s bass player, Victor Wooten, has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards and was voted best bass player three years in a row by Bass Player Magazine, a feat no other bassist has ever achieved.
Some background on his band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kBsHhqtG7k&feature=related
Here’s a sample where he performs a triple banjo song called “the Crow” on the David Letterman Show:
By the way, the comedian Steve Martin, who also happens to be a banjo enthusiast, wrote this song and plays one of the three banjos in the act.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jn3KCZEqxc
Here he is with his group, the Flecktones, at the Boston Pops:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38BpEG6mJe8&feature=related
Here’s a sample of some jazz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFzZXvivo4c
Here he performs a Celtic melody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrlpFA5BbuU&feature=related
A Victor Wooten solo:
