Banjoist Béla Fleck back to perform

Three talented musicians in their own right will combine their disparate styles to create a genre-defying musical experience this Sunday.

Banjoist Béla Fleck, Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain and double bassist Edgar Meyer will play as part of the Carolina Performing Arts series.

“Each of these musicians are superstars in their own right,” said Emil Kang, director of CPA. “You have three of the world’s greatest musicians of their respective instruments who’ve collaborated before and want to get together.”

Fleck has been playing banjo since age 15. He said in an e-mail that he had not planned to be a musician, but it became his only option after high school.

“Béla Fleck has played with everyone, basically, on this planet … everything from rock to pop to classical,” Kang said.

Hussain is known both in India and around the world for his skill on the tabla, an Indian drum.

“Zakir Hussain is a god in the tabla,” Kang said.

Meyer is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, also called the “genius grant.” He has established himself as both an accomplished performer and composer in many genres.

All three musicians, while known for individually crossing the boundaries of musical genre and culture, create something new together.

“It’s not Indian music, it’s not classical music, and it’s not bluegrass music. It’s none of those and it’s all of it at the same time,” Kang said.

This new musical creation is possible because these instruments all share one thing: rhythm. Melody and rhythm, which normally are contrasting elements, are one in the same to them.

Both Fleck and Meyer have performed at Memorial Hall before.

“That was one of the best shows I can remember,” Fleck said, of last year’s show at Memorial Hall.

One thing the audience perhaps can take away is the ever-changing nature of music.

“We hope people actually let go of those labels, and come to the performance able and willing to experience the music for what it is,” Kang said.



Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.