GREATEST HITS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

For anyone interested in becoming acquainted with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, this is a fantastic place to get to know them. "The Sinister Minister" kicks off the compilation as no other track could- here is the whole package right away: Béla Fleck's skillful banjo playing, Victor Wooten's funky slap bass (with his stunning solo), Future Man's contrived drums (from his invention, the drumitar), and the soulful whine of Howard Levy's harmonica. "Stomping Grounds," a piece worked out during a sound check in Europe, is simply one of my favorite instrumentals ever. Such stellar playing should not go unnoticed, and my goodness, how the crowd stays pumped! The version here is from Live Art. "The Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" is the title track off the second album. It was originally called "The Flight of the Codeine Hippo," which was certainly a fitting title given the subdued nature of the music. Named for a North Carolinian dessert, "Sex in a Pan" started out as a solo piece Victor Wooten would play during sound checks, and is a smooth, soulful piece. "The Yee-Haw Factor" is the band in overdrive, from the initial huffing of the harmonica, to the machine-gun fretwork of bass guru Wooten, this is another favorite of mine. There are other tracks on this compilation worth checking out, but I wanted to mention the highlights. For someone new to the steady fusion of bluegrass and funk from this two-decade-old act, here is a swell starting place.