The Hidden Land
Encyclopedia
The Hidden Land is the eighth studio album and twelfth album overall released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
, released in 2006. It was recorded before the band's year-long hiatus during 2005 and released afterward. The Hidden Land won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
.
unless otherwise noted.
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 2006. It was recorded before the band's year-long hiatus during 2005 and released afterward. The Hidden Land won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality contemporary jazz performances...
.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Thom Jurek was lukewarm about the album, writing "It's not that complexity and a multiplicity of ideas is a bad thing; quite the opposite, but knowing when to reign them in and make the music sing is another thing. This record sings only in a couple of places. The rest is "serious Flecktones." Perhaps this determination is simply not for most of us. It's easy to accept that, especially when those serious Flecktones fans will be debating individual musical passages until the next album is released." Devin Grant of No Depression wrote: "Fleck keeps things centered, wielding his banjo in directions the instrument wasn’t originally envisioned to go."Track listing
All songs by Béla FleckBéla Fleck
Béla 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...
unless otherwise noted.
- "Fugue from Prelude/Fugue No. 20 in A minor, BWVBWVThe Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number, is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
889" (J.S. Bach, arr. 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...
, Jeff CoffinJeff CoffinJeff Coffin is an American jazz and alternative rock musician best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In addition to the saxophone, he plays clarinet, flute and oboe.-Biography:...
, Roy WootenFuture ManRoy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
, Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
) – 1:51 - "P'LodP'lodP'lod is a fictional extraterrestrial who, according to the American supermarket tabloid the Weekly World News, actively seeks to advise U.S. politicians for the benefit of the world or the galaxy....
In The House" (R. Wooten, Fleck) – 3:46 - "Rococo" – 3:46
- "Labyrinth" – 6:21
- "Kaleidoscope" (V. Wooten, Coffin, Fleck, R. Wooten) – 5:08
- "Who's Got Three?" – 5:22
- "Weed Whacker" – 7:44
- "Couch Potato" – 3:03
- "Chennai" (Coffin, Fleck) – 5:48
- "Subterfuge" – 4:04
- Interlude (Fleck, Coffin, R. Wooten, V. Wooten) – 0:39
- "Misunderstood" – 7:27
- "The Whistle Tune" (Fleck) – 4:54
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...
- acoustic and electric 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...
s, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bantar - Jeff CoffinJeff CoffinJeff Coffin is an American jazz and alternative rock musician best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In addition to the saxophone, he plays clarinet, flute and oboe.-Biography:...
- soprano, alto, and tenor saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, D and low D whistleWhistleA whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means... - Roy "Future Man" WootenFuture ManRoy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
- Synth-axe drumitar, acoustic percussion, ZendrumZendrumA Zendrum is a hand-crafted MIDI controller that is used as a percussion instrument. It is the commercially available version of the Drumitar, invented by Future Man. There are two Zendrum models that are well-suited for live performances, the ZX and the LT... - Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
es
Production notes
- 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 - Robert Battaglia – engineer, mixing
- Richard Dodd – mastering
- Frank Ockenfels – photography
- Christopher Austopchuk – art direction
- Giulio Turturro – design
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums | 2 |
| 2006 | Billboard Top Internet Albums | 288 |