Listen: Béla Fleck Celebrates Earl Scrugg’s 100th Birthday with “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)”

Photo Credit: Jesse Borrell

Béla Fleck has shared the latest preview off his impending album, Rhapsody in Blue, which is due out on February 12. Featuring the core band from his Grammy-winning My Bluegrass Heart: Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz and Bryan Sutton, today’s single release, “Rhapsody in Blue(grass),” also commemorates the 100th birthday of the esteemed Earl Scruggs–which occurs tomorrow, Jan. 6. 

Outlining the story, Fleck noted via press release, “One day while on tour with My Bluegrass Heart, surrounded by these geniuses, a thought occurred to me – ‘Rhapsody in Blue(grass)?!’ I kept the thought to myself, realizing it was either the greatest idea or possibly the very worst I had ever thought of.” The musician continued, “But it wouldn’t go away. When we started to actually explore it, I realized that it actually sounded quite good. With the bluegrass version, we had the opportunity to stretch out, have some fun and make some different creative moves.”

Fleck’s Rhapsody in Blue album includes three variations: “Rhapsody in Blue(grass),” “Rhapsody in Blue(s),” and the classic orchestration, but with banjo featured instead of piano, performed by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Eric Jacobson. The set also boasts Gershwin’s “Rialto Ripples” and “Unidentified Piece for Banjo” cuts, an unrecorded and unreleased jewel discovered at the Library of Congress.

The previously unreleased cut was brought to Fleck by his friend Dr. Ryan Banagale, author of Arranging Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, “It’s very much like a ragtime tune through a Gershwin lens, with a highly catchy melody and some surprising harmonic moves at the ends of phrases,” Fleck says. “He didn’t write out the harmony, but the implications seemed to point clearly towards ‘I Got Rhythm’ types of chords, though a little more quirky. To keep the authenticity of the piece, I played it on an old gut-string, five-string banjo.” 

Following the LP release, on May 4, 2024, at Carnegie Hall, Rhythm, Raga & Rhapsody will celebrate the music of Béla Fleck, including his New York premiere of “Rhapsody in Blue” performed with the Aeolian Orchestra, conducted by Eric Jacobsen. The occasion is also billed to feature My Bluegrass Heart (Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, and Bryan Sutton), tabla master Zakir Hussain, pianist Bruce Hornsby, and woodwind player Anat Cohen.

Pre-order Rhapsody in Blue, and scroll down to view the complete tracking list. 

Stream  “Rhapsody in Blue(grass),” below.

Rhapsody in Blue:

Rhapsody in Blue(grass)

Unidentified Piece for Banjo

Rhapsody in Blue (featuring Eric Jacobson & the Virginia Symphony Orchestra)

Rhapsody in Blue(s) (feat. Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Victor Wooten)

Rialto Ripples