The Melody of Rhythm

 (19 customer reviews)

There's really no way to accurately describe this music. Is it World Music because the great Zakir Hussain is on it? Americana or Classical because of Edgar Meyer? Bluegrass or Jazz because Bela Fleck rounds out the group? You can put aside all of these categories because the music is all of it and more, and completely accessible. It's not a hodgepodge of styles. The compositions and sounds have real unity and the players enjoy legitimate chemistry.

It's absolutely not avant garde or free jazz, and I have no idea why Amazon has it in this category. Classical is more appropriate but doesn't tell the whole story.

The recorded sound is less austere than your average ECM production, but I think if you like the cross-cultural music from that great label, you'll be on board.

Obviously, fans of any or all three of the principals (as I am) are sure to love it.

Last Sunday the Honolulu Orchestra presented their only new-music offering of the season: a live version of the work before you, Edgar Meyer's The Melody of Rhythm. This triple concerto for banjo, bass, and tabla was first recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and I absolutely can't recommend it highly enough. Performers Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain are simply amazing musicians and collaborators. So much could go wrong combining these three distinct genres, leading to a confused and watered down presentation of each. But this is no mere stylistic mash-up. In the hands of these brilliant performers, Meyer's work forges a memorable and convincing amalgam that fully realizes the potential of collaborative music.

Here is a taste of the concerto only (3 of the 9 tracks):

Fleck's solo banjo, echoed by flutes and xylophone, unfolds a frenetic and monophonic opening theme. This unconventional doubling sets the stage nicely for the coming array...Read more

Imagine in an alternate universe the avant-garde jazz group Oregon was a trio, with Ralph Towner playing banjo instead of guitar, tablist Collin Walcott was still alive, and Glen Moore played bass. What sort of sound would that be? In our own realm, we have three brilliant musical masters, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain, who explore such a combination of timbre with some trio improvisations that are unique, neither bluegrass, nor jazz, nor classical, nor Indian, though a tinge of all may be discerned. Moreover, as the quartet Oregon played with the Moscow Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the trio is heard on this album with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin. These particular tracks consist of a scored, truly classical triple concerto, The Melody of Rhythm, which was first performed with Slatkin and the Nashville Orchestra. It is dandy piece, with the soloists performing some bright flourishes, though the concerto structure is largely a scaffolding...Read more