Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
Encyclopedia
Flight of the Cosmic Hippo is the second album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
, released in 1991. It reached number 1 on the Billboard
Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The album title came from an audience member who suggested "Flight of the Codeine
Hippo" as a name for the title track. The band changed "codeine" to "cosmic" to avoid the drug association.
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones is a primarily instrumental group from the United States, that draws equally on bluegrass, fusion and jazz, sometimes dubbed "blu-bop". The band formed in 1988, initially to perform once on the PBS series Lonesome Pine Specials. The Flecktones have toured extensively...
, released in 1991. It reached number 1 on the Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The album title came from an audience member who suggested "Flight of the Codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
Hippo" as a name for the title track. The band changed "codeine" to "cosmic" to avoid the drug association.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Brian Mansfield wrote of the album "The Flecktones continue to make it look easy."Track listing
- "Blu-Bop" (Béla FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
, Howard LevyHoward LevyHoward Levy is a Grammy Award–winning, American harmonicist, pianist, composer, and producer....
, Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
, Roy WootenFuture ManRoy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
) – 4:22 - "Flying Saucer Dudes" (Fleck) – 4:51
- "Turtle Rock" (Fleck) – 4:12
- "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" (Fleck) – 4:29
- "The Star Spangled Banner" (Francis Scott KeyFrancis Scott KeyFrancis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
, arr. Fleck, R. Wooten, Levy, V. Wooten) – 2:35 - "Star of the County Down" (P.D.Public domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, arr. Fleck, R. Wooten, Levy, V. Wooten) – 4:21 - "Jekyll and Hyde (and Ted and Alice)" (Fleck) – 7:04
- "MichelleMichelle (song)"Michelle" is a love ballad by The Beatles, mainly written by Paul McCartney, with the middle eight co-written with John Lennon. It is featured on their Rubber Soul album. The song departs from most of The Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in French...
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
/Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) – 5:10 - "Hole in the Wall" (Fleck) – 4:40
- "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (Reprise)" (Fleck) – 2:14
Personnel
- Béla FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
– banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, electric banjo - Howard LevyHoward LevyHoward Levy is a Grammy Award–winning, American harmonicist, pianist, composer, and producer....
– diatonic harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, harp in a cup, harp through micro synth, double ocarinaOcarinaThe ocarina is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. Variations do exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body...
, Hammond B-3 organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard... - "Future ManFuture ManRoy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
" – SynthAxe Drumitar - Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
– 4-string, 5-string fretless and 6-string electric bassesBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Production notes
- Produced and mixed by Béla FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
with the Flecktones - Bil VornDick – engineer, mixing
- Carlos Grier – editing
- Denny Purcell – mastering
- Mark Nevers – assistant engineer
- Keith Odle – mixing assistant
- Richard Battaglia – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
- Mark Tucker – photography
- Elvis Wilson – design
- Laura LiPuma – art direction
- Mark Fox – artwork
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums | 1 |