Blu Bop, the band.

The music of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones inspired musicians for a generation, and continues to lay the groundwork for a new breed of musical talent. Their particular brand of fusion brought the banjo back into the jazz world and transcended the boundaries of what type of music can be played with jazz instrumentation. Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, Roy "Futureman" Wooten, Howard Levy, Jeff Coffin and a host of top caliber guest musicians created a new style of music that has been described as "bluegrass jazz fusion", "funk grass" and a host of other attempts to classify the un-classifiable. The tongue in cheek reference of "Blu-Bop" best describes the music, but also hints at the sense of humor involved. It's light hearted virtuosity with serious leanings toward technicality, soul and brilliance. This tribute act serves to pay respects to the music that inspired so many, and bring it to an audience that adores them. We are so inspired by their music, we want to recreate it as faithfully as possible, while lending our own improvisational skills as a nod to the masters who gave us this gift in the first place. If you're a new fan, or a lifetime follower, we hope you'll enjoy our tribute to Bela and the band that made it all happen.

Comprised of E. Scott Warren on bass, Mike Rosado on drums, Justin Powell on keys, Paul Messinger on harmonica, Myron Koch on saxophones and long obsessed Flecktone fan, Hank Smith on banjos, who roped all these people into it, the band is local to the Triangle area of NC and will attempt the very difficult but amazingly fun task of playing this music as accurately as possible. That said, the band will also use the tunes as jumping off points to showcase their own skills in true Flecktone fashion. Bela, we hope you're ok with this. It's all out of love and respect!

From the Press

• A hotel room dalliance: Grayson Currin on World of Bluegrass, Night Three
• Hank Smith, building a bluegrass community by banjo and committee
• IBMA, Night Three: Two Triangle groups at the edge of bluegrass
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