UFO TOFu
There's a sly wit to everyBéla Fleck & the Flecktonesalbum; the foursome of virtuosos takes its progressive fusion of jazz and bluegrass to such extremes (and with such ease), the musicians can't help but smile. "Nemo's Dream" exemplifies the spirit of the group as each member--Fleck on banjo, Howard Levy on piano, Victor Wooten on bass, and Future Man on drum-synth--let loose and have their fun. The title track erupts with a flurry of notes from Fleck and Levy that slowly evolves into intricately patterned quartet interplay. "Magic Fingers" never stops being funky. And "True North" starts out (oddly enough for this crew) with a plaintive, New Agey pennywhistle. "The Yee-haw Factor" returns the disc back to its wild bluegrass roots. One of the Flecktones' very best.--Jason Verlinde