Back catalogue: Funk

Review: A shape-shifting force from the American South, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones rerouted genre boundaries with their early 90s experimentations-none more so than this landmark second release. Built around banjo, bass, keys and Future Man's custom SynthAxe Drumitar, the quartet's playing here is deft, joyfully off-kilter, and quietly revolutionary. Their self-coined "blu-bop" style hits full stride, blending bebop's angular shifts with bluegrass warmth on 'Turtle Rock' and the dizzying 'Blu-Bop'. A woozy take on 'Michelle' and a surprisingly reverent reading of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' show off their melodic instinct without sacrificing invention. The telepathic interplay and tonal sharpness-especially in the low-end counterpoint of Victor Wooten's bass-make it clear how this group managed to top jazz charts while looking nothing like a traditional jazz outfit. It's a sound not pinned to any one era or idiom, but to pure creative glee.