Customer Reviews
The flying fingers of Fleck - By: David M. Webster, 02 Feb 2008 
Nice to see that Bela has expanded his classical repertoire from the single piece that he used to play on stage (and on his DVD).
Having been a fan of his for many years & having been fortunate enough to catch him "Live" at The Mean Fiddler"in Harlesden a few years ago, I am delighted to see him go from strength to strength.
He has also moved The Banjo from what was perceived by many to be an instrument of derision to a thing of considerable beauty!
Let's face it, Bela could play anything, if he set his mind to it.His ability & talent seem boundless.
I look forward with anticipation to see where he decides to go from here.
Simply Inspiring! - By: , 01 Feb 2006 
What can I say. I added this cd to my order thinking that it looked good. It is AWESOME! It's a worthy addition to a cd collection!
Enjoy
A musical delight - By: AJ Thould, 11 Dec 2004 This is an eccentric but rather fine recording with an array of wonderful musicians supporting Bela Fleck. I have never heard the banjo playedin this way before - it is a revelation. The selection of music is firmly within the classical pops but the instrumentation & arrangements provide harmonies that are quite new. Well worth buying & great fun.
Mind-bending finger-numbing work. - By: Bob Zeidler, 22 Aug 2003 Prediction: This new "Perpetual Motion" compilation by Fleck & friends will win a Grammy for best classical crossover album. By a - if you'll excuse the expression - country mile.
Béla Fleck, sometimes whimsically called "the Bartók of the banjo" (his full given name is Béla Anton Leos Fleck, for composers Bartók, Dvorak & Janácek) is - on this new album - "the Bach of the banjo" for nearly half of its 20 tracks. Collaborating with an all-star group of classical & roots musicians, Béla has come up with a delightful surprise of an album. Made up of - more or less - equal parts good cheer, tasteful & fitting arrangements of classical chamber music for novel groups of instruments, & just plain down & dirty fun, this album is sure to appeal to both "traditional" Fleck fans & classical music lovers of all stripes.
Once again, as on some previous projects, Fleck's main artisitc partnerin the enterprise is Edgar Meyer (that man who can do absolutely anything with a string bass), whose roles here include not only instrumental contributions but repertoire suggestions & arrangements as well. The two of them team up to good effectin Bach's Two-Part Invention No. 6, BWV 777, and, with Edgar on piano,in a more-or-less "straight" version of Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo."
Of the other collaborators on this album (and there are several, including classical guitarist John Williams, cellist Gary Hoffman & mandolinist Chris Thile), special mention must go to percussionist Evelyn Glennie on marimba, for her delicately-shaded work on several of the Bach Inventions, & to Joshua Bell on violin (and Hoffman on cello) for a ravishing take on Debussy's "Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum" from his Children's Corner suite. The latter is one of my favorite tracks on the album, & I'm not even a particular fan of Bell; he is simply perfectin this piece.
What would a Béla Fleck album be without some REALLY sidesplitting hot licks? Those who desire this "Fleck fix" need not worry; there are two tracks fitting this description: an arrangement for banjo & classical guitar of Beethoven's "Seven Variations on 'God Save the King'," and, to wrap the album up, a bluegrass version of the Paganini title work.
Will my Grammy prediction come true? Who knows? The prediction could certainly be confounded if the appropriate NARAS Grammy nominating committee decides that Mark O'Connor's new album, "The American Seasons," is categorized as "classical crossover," leading to the possibility of a deadlocked vote. So why don't you just go out & try Mark's new album as well, & cover your bases?
Great stuff, this mind-bending finger-numbing work by Béla & his buddies.
