About a year ago, legendary banjo player and bandleader Béla Fleck served as No Depression’s honorary guest editor for the Summer 2024 issue. He spoke to former Assistant Editor Stacy Chandler about his heroes, mentors, collaborators, as well as his recent and current projects — namely his interpretation of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and a tribute to Chick Corea called Remembrance. But even then, whether he knew it and didn’t say or the musical asteroids hadn’t yet collided, Fleck was on the cusp of yet another monumental project.
In September 2024, Fleck joined forces with two other musical giants, Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda and Mexican percussionist Antonio Sánchez, for a 12-show residency at New York City’s legendary Blue Note Jazz Club. The following weekend, they performed at FreshGrass | North Adams, presented by the nonprofit FreshGrass Foundation that also publishes No Depression. For many, their trio performance on Saturday evening was a highlight of the festival.
