Saturday, November 8th, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will presenjt a special program -- Bluegrass and Beyond for three performances throughout the day. The family program of Bluegrass Basics will take place at the same time as the mid-day program. For a special treat, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn will perform at the CMA Theater at 8 PM.
The museum presents a full day of bluegrass-inspired performances and workshops featuring top players. Presented by the Crump family and Cotten Music Center, Honoring George A. and Marjorie S. Crump. Takes place in the Museum’s Ford Theater. useum admission or Museum membership required for program admittance. Limited seating available. Program pass required.
Béla Fleck, a fifteen-time Grammy® winner, and Abigail Washburn presented their eponymous debut album as a duo on October 7th, after many years of prominence as banjo players and composers in their own eclectic avenues. Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn is a front porch banjo and vocal album of new music, Appalachian murder ballads, gospel, chamber and blues; the culmination of a yearlong tour as a duo in 2013, following the birth of their son, Juno. Béla, an icon and innovator of jazz, classical and world, with more multi-category Grammy® wins than any other artist (15 total), and Abigail, a formidable talent with triumphs in songwriting, theater, performance, and even Chinese diplomacy by way of banjo, turn out to be quite a fortuitous pairing with a deep, distinct and satisfying outcome. The culmination is an album like no other.
The record reveals their astounding chemistry as collaborators, as the two seamlessly stitch together singular banjo sounds (through an assortment of seven banjos spanning the recording) in service to the stories that their songs tell, with no studio gimmickry needed. According to Béla, “finding a way to make every song have its own unique stamp, yet the whole project having a big cohesive sound – with only two people,” was at the core of their joint vision. Demonstrating seemingly unlimited rhythmic, tonal and melodic capabilities, Fleck and Washburn confirm the banjo’s versatility as the perfect backdrop to the rich lyrical component that Fleck and Washburn offer, “Sometimes when you add other instruments, you take away from the banjo’s being able to show all its colors, which are actually quite beautiful.”
With her earthy sophistication of a postmodern, old-time singer-songwriter, and his virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity fused with bluegrass roots— the music of Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn is a different matter entirely. There’s no denying that theirs is a one-of-a-kind pairing, with one-of-a-kind possibilities. Fleck and Washburn have collaborated in the past, most notably in their Sparrow Quartet, with Casey Driessen and Ben Sollee. Until last fall, though, any performances they gave as a two-piece were decidedly informal: a pickin’ party here, a benefit show at Washburn’s grandmother’s Unitarian church there. It was inevitable and eagerly anticipated by fans of tradition-tweaking acoustic fare that these partners in music and life (who married in 2009) would eventually do a full-fledged project together.
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum tells the story of one of the world’s most popular art forms. Here, the music and its makers speak through timeless art, the latest interactive exhibits and live performances. Visitors may also dine at Two Twenty-Two Grill & Catering™, located in the museum’s Curb Conservatory, which offers a snack bar and a hot food menu.
The museum is located at 222 Fifth Ave. S. in downtown Nashville (SoBro district), and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for ticketing and other programs.