AMERICAN EXPRESS SERIES Banjo trailblazer Béla Fleck has done it all: spawned a generation of “newgrassers” as a member of New Grass Revival, penned the first-ever Banjo Concerto, and won a GRAMMY in the World Music category. This summer, he comes to the bandshell.

arrow-02 Previous slide arrow-02 Next Slide Béla Fleck & the Flecktones

Nellie McKay

AMERICAN EXPRESS SERIES

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Banjo trailblazer Béla Fleck has done it all: he spun refined solos and spawned a generation of "newgrassers" as a member of New Grass Revival, penned the first-ever Banjo Concerto, and won a GRAMMY in the World Music category for his 2010 exploration of African roots music. In fact, he has won a staggering 16 GRAMMYs, and has been nominated in more categories than any other artist in history. But perhaps his greatest achievement has been BÉLA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES, the legendary jazz fusionists who create "an unclassifiable meld of jazz, progressive bluegrass, rock, classical, funk, and world music." (AllMusic)

The Flecktones earned a devoted following in the jam scene, with on-stage musical explorations that resonated with Deadheads and bluegrassers alike. Critic Geoffrey Himes wrote of their self-titled record, "Fleck's banjo-playing takes the quartet on wide tangents through the outer space of jazz improvisation and minimalist composition, but he always brings them back to the traditions of rural America." Brothers Victor and Roy Wooten (a.k.a. Futureman) constitute the band's dizzying rhythm section, virtuosic to the point of spiritualized. The "ceaselessly clever and scarily talented" (New Yorker) chanteuse NELLIE McKAY opens the night, a pianist-songwriter who doubles as a stand-up comedian and Broadway star.

Friends of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival

Member Seating & Tent Access



Friends Seating: Front seats open to Seat-Pass and Tent-Pass members

Friends Tent: Open to Tent-Pass members

Sponsor Tent: Closed for a Private Event

Venue Information:

The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is one of New York City's longest running, free, outdoor performing arts festivals and is held every summer at the Prospect Park Bandshell. View seating arrangements here.

All Performances Rain or Shine. In the event of dangerous weather we will be communicating updates on our website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Doors open one hour prior to performance unless otherwise noted.