Blazing Banjos

When it comes to high-brow musical respect, the banjo ranks somewhere below the accordion and above the kazoo.

In fact, according to banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, some people discover they like banjo music “only when they hear it by mistake,” as they did on Fleck’s classical banjo album, “Perpetual Motion.”

“Some folks were sure that (the banjo) was a harpsichord,” said Fleck, in an e-mail interview.

Listeners can be forgiven for the confusion, since on that CD he was playing Bach and Scarlatti (not to mention Chopin and Beethoven). In the hands of Fleck, the world’s acknowledged banjo master, the notes shimmer and sparkle as if played on a well-tempered clavier.

On the other hand, Fleck can blast his way through a bluegrass-tinged “Arkansas Traveler” when he feels the urge. He brings his band, the Flecktones, to play a Spokane Symphony SuperPops concert on Saturday, but just because he’s playing with an orchestra, don’t get the idea that he will be playing only classical music.

“We might even get them (the Spokane Symphony) to play some bluegrass!” said Fleck.

He and the Flecktones will play a few holiday numbers from “Jingle All the Way,” their new Christmas CD. They’ll also debut a new orchestral arrangement of a Flecktones tune called “Sleeper.” Mostly, they’ll play a selection of jazzy tunes that span their entire history since 1989.

You’ll hear a brand of music so unique, no label can possibly describe it. Some people call it blu-bop – as in, a hybrid of bluegrass and bebop. Yet even that label is far too restrictive. This is virtuoso banjo music that touches on country, jazz, pop, classical, world music and a whole lot of other styles that most people never would associate with the banjo.

“I have benefited as much as suffered from ‘banjo prejudice,’ ” said Fleck. “I think my classical record was so well-received partly because of people’s low expectations. When you are the only player of an instrument in a field, people tend to be surprised and positive. Although, of course some people just don’t like the banjo.”

Fleck’s fingerpicking style is no different from thousands of other banjo players. He plays a five-string banjo, the kind used in bluegrass and country, and he uses three fingers – with two finger picks and a thumb pick – in time-honored Earl Scruggs fashion. Yet he somehow manages to do for the banjo what Mark O’Connor does for the violin or what Segovia did for the guitar.

And like most virtuosos, he’s particular about the instrument he plays.

“The banjos I like the best are Gibson Mastertones from the late 1930s,” he said. “My favorite one is called a Style 75. This is because in the ’30s it was $75. Now, you’d be looking at $100,000!”

The other members of the Flecktones are significant musical figures in themselves. The lineup features Victor Wooten, one of the most influential bassists in America; Jeff Coffin, horn player and session man extraordinaire; and RoyEl, also known as Future Man, a percussionist who has invented his own percussion instrument called the Drumitar. The Flecktones lineup has remained unchanged for over 10 years.

Fleck’s interest in the banjo extends to the instrument’s African roots, as well. In 2005, he traveled to Uganda, Tanzania, the Gambia and Mali to play and learn from musicians in the banjo’s birthplace. In 2009, Fleck will release an album and documentary from that trip.

Next year, Fleck also plans to work with two other combos: A new trio with bassist Edgar Meyer (“Appalachian Suite”) and Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain; and the Sparrow Quartet, which combines old-time string band music with Chinese melodies (yes, you heard that right).

The SuperPops concert on Saturday will be conducted by resident conductor Morihiko Nakahara.