All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: Béla Fleck Interprets 'Rhapsody In Blue' on Composition's 100th Anniversary
Date: February 12, 2024
Guest: Béla Fleck
Host: Alison Stewart

Episode Overview

This episode celebrates the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue by spotlighting banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck’s inventive new album, Rhapsody in Blue. The discussion centers on Fleck’s reinterpretations of Gershwin’s masterpiece, ranging from bluegrass to blues to orchestral renditions, and explores Fleck’s creative process, the evolution of his relationship with the piece, and the enduring vibrancy of Gershwin’s music. Special highlights include Fleck’s solo banjo performance, the world premiere of a previously unrecorded Gershwin work for banjo, and engaging stories from Fleck’s own musical journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Béla Fleck’s Early Connection to Rhapsody in Blue

[06:11–08:06]

• Fleck recalls seeing the Rhapsody in Blue biopic at a young age at the Thalia Theater in his neighborhood, which was his first exposure both to Gershwin and to orchestral music.
• He describes Gershwin as a local hero on the Upper West Side and notes the personal connection, with Gershwin having lived close by and Fleck’s Uncle Steve being a huge fan.
• “I just loved the piece, loved his story. And he was a hero around the Upper West Side, you know, in the community of musicians and people that I knew, and I guess my family.” — Béla Fleck [07:14]
• Fleck’s hands-on experience performing Rhapsody in Blue began at high school: he played the banjo strum part in the orchestra and was fascinated by the complexity of the piano part.

2. The Challenge of Adapting Rhapsody in Blue for Banjo

[08:12–10:32]

• Inspired by pandemic downtime, Fleck set himself the daunting task of transposing the piano part—iconic and technically intricate—onto the banjo.
• “I’ve got three [fingers] that pluck... and there’s just a lot of things that are just impossible to play on the banjo the way you could play it on a piano. But there are things you can play and ways to make it work. And I always like to try to figure out how to make things work.” — Béla Fleck [08:12]
• His process: started by tackling the first piano entrance, spent weeks working out tunings and fingerings, and methodically built out the arrangement measure by measure, constantly revising for playability.
• “The first draft was unplayable because I was trying to do so much of the piano part. But I just kept on simplifying slowly because I didn't want to lose anything I didn't have to lose.” — Béla Fleck [10:09]

3. Overcoming Technical and Artistic Obstacles

[10:34–12:27]

• Major challenges included the banjo’s limited range and the difficulty of simultaneously playing melody and harmonies.
• Fleck took solace from the piece’s long history of adaptation—mentioning versions by harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler and jazz pianist Marcus Roberts—and embraced the “license” to explore.

“It's one of the most rearranged, redone pieces in the classical repertoire. So there was a certain license there to explore it and try different things.” — Béla Fleck [11:54]

4. The Birth of ‘Rhapsody in Bluegrass’

[12:27–15:52]

• Seeking to flesh out the album and meet the centenary’s deadline, Fleck conceived “Rhapsody in Bluegrass”—a bluegrass-infused version, initially unsure if it would work.
• “I cringed when I called up Brian Sutton... But we started playing and I stopped cringing, was like, well, this sounds cool. I actually think this is actually good.” — Béla Fleck [12:40]
• Motivated by the coincidence that bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs was born a few weeks before Rhapsody in Blue’s premiere, Fleck gathered a lineup of bluegrass all-stars, eventually adding a blues version with Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Victor Wooten.
• He reflects on his reputation for taking on “bad ideas” and making them work:
  “I love when people have low expectations. I mean, that’s been my whole career... It just has to not suck if I do it. It doesn’t actually have to be good. It just has to not really suck.” — Béla Fleck [14:50]

5. What Modern Adaptations Reveal About Gershwin’s Music

[16:21–18:59]

• Fleck believes the multitude of variations demonstrates Gershwin’s remarkable songwriting and adaptability:

  “I think George Gershwin first and foremost just wrote great tunes... he also did it his own way. And so he’s one of those guys. And I relate to that because with the banjo, there’s a lot of areas that haven’t been mapped.” — Béla Fleck [17:17]

• He draws a connection to his own artistic philosophy: confidence, perseverance, and experimentation often lead to unique creative results.

6. Discovery and Performance of Unrecorded Gershwin Banjo Piece

[20:13–24:54]

• With help from musicologist Ryan (author of Arranging Gershwin), Fleck discovered an original unpublished Gershwin composition for banjo, found as a handwritten page in the Library of Congress.
• The tune, simply titled “Unidentified,” is described as a “simple ragtime tune with a couple of Gershwini quirks.”
• Fleck gives an on-air performance:

  [Performance of “Unidentified”] — Béla Fleck [21:37–24:54]

7. Exploring Gershwin’s Ragtime Side: “Rialto Ripples”

[25:11–27:46]

• Fleck discusses his draw to Gershwin’s lesser-known piano rag “Rialto Ripples,” describing the joy of exploring music that’s both catchy and unfamiliar territory for the banjo.
• “Sometimes you hear a piece and you go, I’d like to know how that works, I’d like to be inside that piece, seeing how it works.” — Béla Fleck [25:11]
• He deliberately plays it slower and with more narrative grace than typical piano renditions:
  “[Pianists] might go... so I took it a little bit more evocative, partly because I didn’t have as much time to learn it, but partly because I liked it that way.” — Béla Fleck [27:15–27:35]

8. Upcoming Performances & Celebrations

[27:50–29:07]

• Fleck previews plans to play his new arrangements live—with his bluegrass band and symphonies across the country, including a major performance at Carnegie Hall in May.
• Notable collaborators will include Bruce Hornsby, Zakir Hussain, and others, along with performances led by Eric Jacobsen of The Knights.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On tackling new musical territory:
  “You have to believe. You have to just kind of go, I’m going to do this. I don’t know how to do this. I’m going to figure it out. And you figure out something.” — Béla Fleck [17:54]
• On creative risk-taking:
  “If you get someone who’s never done one, they may do something that is a little different, and it’ll have strengths and weaknesses based on that. And so that’s my world. I’m usually trying to figure that out. And I win and lose because of that.” — Béla Fleck [18:31]
• Host Alison on “Rialto Ripples”:
  “I love that. It sounds like he’s talking to you. He’s telling you a story. I’m not sure what the story is, but I’m enjoying it.” — Alison Stewart [26:35]
• On the accidental “theme” of his career:
  “I love when people have low expectations. I mean, that’s been my whole career... It just has to not suck if I do it.” — Béla Fleck [14:50]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [06:11] — Fleck’s first exposure to Rhapsody in Blue and connection to Gershwin
• [08:12] — The challenge and method of adapting Rhapsody in Blue for banjo
• [12:27] — Conceiving and creating “Rhapsody in Bluegrass”
• [16:21] — What the variations reveal about Gershwin’s work
• [20:13] — Discovery of Gershwin’s original banjo composition
• [24:54] — Fleck’s thoughts on and performance of “Rialto Ripples”
• [27:50] — Discussion of upcoming live performances

Conclusion

This lively and insightful conversation underscores both the timeless flexibility of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Béla Fleck's restless creativity. From daring cross-genre experiments to the thrill of discovering unrecorded works, Fleck’s approach honors Gershwin’s own spirit of innovation. The episode is a treat for Gershwin lovers, Fleck fans, and anyone interested in the evolution of American music across genres and generations.