03/16/11

Story by Peggy Graham

Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer

Three masterful genre benders, genre blenders

High resolution photo

High resolution photo

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — It’s a small world after all – especially in the world of music. On tour with their newest CD, Melody of Rhythm — Triple Concerto and Music for Trio, Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer combine Indian classical rhythms, bluegrass and Western orchestral style to create sounds of global harmony. Grammy award-winning banjoist Fleck; the greatest-living tabla player Hussain; and classical/jazz double-bass virtuoso Meyer will perform in trio and stunning solos at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 16, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College, as part of JCCC’s Performing Arts Series.

Three of the most prolific creators and composers in the history of music, Fleck, Hussain and Meyer share an unprecedented array of projects and pairings. Together they touch every geographical and stylistic corner of the musical world. The trio released Melody of Rhythm, featuring The Melody of Rhythm Concerto commissioned for the opening of Nashville Symphony's Schermerhorn Concert Hall in 2009, alongside previous innovative CDs — Triple Concerto for Banjo, Tabla and Double Bass.

• Béla Fleck has been called the premiere banjo player in the world and has virtually reinvented the image and sound of the banjo to combine classical, bluegrass and jazz music. Equally at home in the great classical halls and concert arenas of the world, Fleck has won 11 Grammy Awards and has been nominated in more categories than anyone in Grammy history.
• Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla (Sanskrit for “drum”) virtuoso of the highest order, Hussain’s consistently brilliant performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but earned him worldwide fame. Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Hussain’s contribution has been unique, with much historic collaboration. Hussain appeared with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, santoor, in Yardley Hall in March 2009.
• Edgar Meyer is prominently established as a unique and masterful instrumentalist and has an active career as both a performer and a composer. As a solo classical bassist, he has performed on CD with prestigious chamber orchestras and artists such as Yo-Yo Ma. He won a Grammy for the album Appalachian Journey, recorded with Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O'Connor. As a composer, he premiered a triple concerto for double bass, banjo and tabla for the opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, as well as a piece for double bass and piano that he performed with Emanuel Ax. His uniqueness in the field was recognized by a MacArthur Award in 2002.

Each a master of his own instrument and music genre, their collaboration moves music to an unexpected place, with predicted greatness.

Tickets are $35, $45 and $80 (orchestra pit), available by calling the PAS box office, 913-469-4445, or online at www.jccc.edu/TheSeries.

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