Circuit Overload: A Wealth of Music Treats Atlanta

By Chip Schramm

February and March were great months for music in Atlanta, as well as north Georgia in general. There were so many opportunities to go out and see great live shows that it was almost a little overwhelming to try and keep up with it all. Missing top-shelf shows like the Sno-Core show with Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade with Galactic and then Trey Anastasio at the Fox are good signs that something is afoot. With a side trip down to Mardi Gras notwithstanding, I had the chance to catch a really wide variety of music in the past month. From Barbara Cue and Bloodkin playing together in a family-style gathering at the Brandyhouse to Cecil "Peanut" Daniels and David Blackmon playing a musical experiment of sorts with some pre-recorded tracks at Smith's Olde Bar, there were all manners of musical merriment to be had.

Friday February 16th, Barbara Cue and Bloodkin, Brandyhouse

I wasn't too sure what to expect going into this show. As Danny Hutchens indicates in the feature interview in this month's issue, these guys are all very close and seemed totally comfortable playing with each other. This could have easily been billed as Barabara Kin and Bloodcue, as the two swapped players all night and shared the ivory tinkling skills of Jojo Hermann throughout. I was a little worried about the scene there, because I heard someone on their cell phone at the bar saying "Jojo's here, you gotta come down!" as soon as I walked in. Fortunately, the scene seekers hoping to hear stayed away and those who came to hear great rock and modern country were rewarded throughout the evening.

Barbara Cue seems to get better with each show they play. It's a shame that they don't play together more often, but coordinating with Todd Nance's schedule with Widespread Panic is not the easiest thing to do. They opened the show and gave the material from their Louisiana Truckstop album a heavy workout. "Find a Fool," "Dig Deeper," and "Don't Take It Away" were three of the highlights of Barbara Cue's set. The latter song was especially enjoyable. Nance's vocals have really strengthened the more he has gotten the opportunity to sing. On "Don't Take It Away," they have a smooth, powerful, almost James Taylor-like quality to them. John Neff was also very impressive. He played pedal steel like a seasoned veteran, despite his relatively youthful appearance.

One of the most vivid memories I have from the evening was at the beginning of the 'Cue set when you could see the obvious silhouette of Jojo Hermann behind the backstage door at the Brandy, etched out perfectly in the frosted window panes. With his customary glass of red wine in hand, he added a little extra flavor to the entire show, blending in well and picking his moments. His play with Bloodkin was pretty well timed since they just saw Bill McKay leave to hook-up with Leftover Salmon full-time. Hermann's style is close enough to McKay's that they really didn't miss a beat.

Bloodkin played very well. They were also mixed well by the soundman, which really makes a big difference for their vocal harmonies and balance. "Privilege" and "Preacherman" were just two of the stronger songs of their set. Nance sat in for a while, joining Bentley Rhodes as an eight-limbed drumming monster. Crumpy Edwards stayed on stage all night, at first playing acoustic guitar with Barbara Cue, then switching over to electric bass later in the evening for Bloodkin and the third set that followed. The third set was a real treat, as nearly all of the musicians that had performed all night played together as a virtual "guitarmy" as William Tonks likes to say. Overall, the Bloodkin/Barbara Cue lineup was great and worthy of consideration as the opening band(s) for a Widespread Panic tour, to be sure.

March 1st, Ben Harper w/Jack Johnson, Classic Center, Athens, GA

On March 1st, I made the short drive down to Athens to catch Ben Harper and Jack Johnson at the Classic Canter. They played in the large side, as opposed to the smaller theater where Widespread Panic played last April. Jack Johnson is an emerging musician who shares a lot in common with Harper. They both share a producer for their most recent albums, and Harper even played on Brushfire Fairytales, Johnson's debut CD.

It wasn't difficult to understand why Harper and Johnson are a good match. They both play primarily original songs, singing and supporting themselves with talented sidemen. Johnson's voice is soft but empathetic, showing plenty of vocal range to match the appropriate moments of his show. The main drawback of the warehouse side of the Classic Center is that the acoustics are far inferior to the theater side. The ceiling was huge and you would have really thought you were in a warehouse club if you didn't know any differently. The bass boomed and echoed at first, but the soundman did a skillful job of adjusting before Johnson was finished, much to his credit.

Ben Harper wasted no time getting down to business when it was his turn to play. He opened the show with "Oppression" and played a politically-motivated segue into Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up." From there they broke it down and gave all of the Innocent Criminals the chance to work in a solo and share some of the spotlight before the show continued. The bass was solid as always, and the percussion jam lasted for what seemed like 10 whole minutes. From there, Harper switched gears a little and played the humorous "Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now," followed by the sing-along "Burn One Down."

Continuing with the theme to that point, they followed with "Burn To Shine," next, followed by "Ground On Down." Harper changed his guitars constantly, as is his custom, displaying the versatility that has garnered him so much praise from fellow musicians in the industry. He took a moment to address the crowd and dedicated a song to the late Curtis Mayfield. "The Woman In You," was a well played and very soulful tribute to the late, great legend. "Steal My Kisses" kept the seductive mood in place and would be a good way to end the set.

The encore followed the usual pattern for a Ben Harper concert. Harper came out and played some solo songs before being joined by his whole band for the finale. Inevitably, the solo portion requires a little from the audience as far as being attentive and quiet. This may seem like basic concert etiquette for most, but the college kids at this one seemed like they were just enjoying the party more than the music. I wondered why a few of them (who were discussing their spring break plans with the whole room) were there at all. The crowd back at the venue's bars was drowning out Harper's singing almost completely. That was entirely their loss, but I'm sure Harper was a little disappointed, too. Overall this was a good show, especially for those that were introduced to Jack Johnson for the first time. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him in the future.

March 2nd, Larry w/Smokin' Grass, Brandyhouse and Ulu w/Larry at the Cotton Club, March 3rd

The first Friday of March was a great way to start things of for the month. Larry, the pride of Austin, TX, was in town to play a show with Vermont's most visible bluegrass band, Smokin' Grass. The bluegrass started the show, and plenty of folks turned out early so they wouldn't miss it. I caught Smokin' Grass for the first time, myself. Aside for the exceedingly cheesy name, everything seemed to click in place for them. The fiddle player especially impressed with his skills and improvisational work. It is easy to see some influence from a band like Leftover Salmon in Smokin' Grass' work, but they had plenty of original ideas to offer themselves, so that was to their advantage.

Larry's set and encores took on a sort of carnival feel, as they were providing entertainment for several fans celebrating birthdays in the audience. They even let two long-time fans celebrating a birthday (they were twins) pick some of the songs on their set list, in advance. This resulted in a very entertaining segment involving one of their better-known tunes, "Seven." They reprised "Seven" at least 3 times, mixing in plenty of their other songs in-between.

Other highlights of the Larry set were a moving "Bird Song," dedicated to the memory of both Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia, and even the Dukes of Hazard theme song. The latter was played as part of the encore after almost everyone in the house had tied one on. The band even ordered a round of Jaegermeister shots, dedicating their sip to the original Jaeger posterboys, the Kudzu Kings. By the end of the night, everyone in the house was sharing the positive vibe provided by both bands for nearly 6 straight hours.

After a quick trip to North Carolina, Larry returned to Atlanta for a Sunday night engagement at the Cotton Club downtown. The Cotton Club is a really laid back place to catch a show, so it made for a very appropriate venue for Jeff and Maria Dunham to move the couch for a week. Larry took the opening slot this time, and made the most of their short set, getting the small but enthusiastic crowd pumped up for a Sunday night's worth of great live music.

Ulu is a band that is really starting to make a name for itself on the national touring scene. It seems pretty safe to say that any funky groove band from the New York area has to have some legitimate chops to even make it out of there, so it was no surprise to me that they played well for the radio broadcast. The instrumental lineup was a little stronger than last I saw, as the full band was not assembled the last time I caught them. They are definitely a band on the rise.

March 7th, Mike Clark's Prescription Renewal, Variety Playhouse

This was one of the most highly anticipated shows of the month. Any bill that features Charlie Hunter, DJ Logic, Skerik, and Robert Walters playing by themselves, much less together with Herbie Hancock's drummer, is going to turn heads. The undeniable mass of musical talent possessed by these innovative players is really pretty staggering to think about. There were a whole lot of ways they could have approached this show, but ultimately ambient grooves and smooth, mellow jams carried the night.

Just watching the way the players interacted with each other was a treat. Charlie Hunter acted as the ringleader much of the night, working his bass and treble lines in and out of his soloing teammates. He played on a few nice blues themes early in the evening, animating his guitar licks with jerky motion up and down with the neck. It was almost odd to see him onstage with so many other musicians, especially since the last few projects he's worked on have used only 1 or 2 other drummers for support. He had a sly, toothy grin on his face all night long, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

DJ Logic was the real wild card in this lineup. Mixing prerecorded tracks in with live performance is always a delicate process, no matter how you tackle it. With the several nights on tour already under their collective belts, it was obvious that the Medicine Renewal gang had settled into their roles rather well. Logic is certainly no rookie when it comes to spinning his records with live musicians, and he played a lead role throughout much of the evening. He and Mike Clark were equally responsible for laying the rhythm of each number, which in Logic's case was often a trance-like shuffle to set things up.

Things weren't entirely spacey, of course. Robert Walters and Skerik both found plenty of avenues to drive things in a jazzy direction. Skerik brought a joy to his saxophone experimentation that played a viral role in the show. Overall, I would say that Walters offered the strongest performance of all the musicians on this night. He was consistently involved in the jams, whether he was playing lead or supporting someone else. I hadn't caught him live since his days playing with Karl Denson, so I was very pleased to see how much his playing has developed in just a few years.

Overall this was a very worthy show. Some fans in attendance were expecting a little more upbeat dance music, but that's the beauty of this kind of project: you can take the same 5 musicians on any given night, and probably hear an entirely different show each time. Any way you slice it, this is a project that could have a life of its own, beyond just this tour. As busy as these guys stay, that may seem questionable, but who knows? Good music ultimately finds a way to make itself happen.

March 8th & 9th Cecil Daniels and David Blackmon, Smith's Olde Bar and 3 Dollar Café

This month's regional report closes with an experimental concept in the truest sense. Two of the most well known and liked contemporaries of Widespread Panic teamed up for a jam session billed as a bootleg overdub. The concept seemed pretty plausible: all Panic fans enjoy the shows when David Blackmon has joined them for fiddle and Cecil "Peanut" Daniels on his electric midi-saxophone and percussion. While some Widespread Panic shows are legendary due to the backing of these two players, the idea here was to pick ideal versions of other songs without sax or fiddle, and have Peanut and Blackmon play over the pre-recorded tracks.

The first night at Smith's flowed pretty smoothly. Some of the songs played included the original Panic cover of "Use Me" from Halloween in 1997 and "Sympathy For The Devil" from 10/29 of this previous year. The room at Smith's held the sound well and it seemed like the musicians were really enjoying what they were doing. There was a strong showing of mostly curious music fans who wanted to see what all the buzz was about. They were also treated to a Led Zepplin cover by String Cheese and a "Space Wrangler" as well. While many of the fans felt like the scene onstage was "weird," because there were only two live musicians for so much music coming through the speakers, most agreed that when the musicians looked like they were having so much fun, the positive energy was flowing both ways.

The next night at the 3 Dollar Café, the road was a little bumpier. The party room at this Buckhead restaurant did not hold the sound as well as Smith's. The ceiling was very high and made the bass resonate and echo much more than was healthy. This led to the musicians and fans both becoming a bit frustrated at times, but they fought through it and for that they were to be commended. Ultimately that is what makes an experiment an experiment, there is always the chance you won't get the outcome you are expecting. The second night also included some more straightforward moments, as the new percussionist from Deep Blue Sun sat in for some regular jamming. Even that was very interesting, as there are not many lineups that feature midi-sax, fiddle, and congas as their main components.

[Stay tuned for a feature interview with Cecil "Peanut" Daniels in an upcoming issue of Jambands.com]

Trey Anastasio at the Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA 3/5/01

by Phil Lombardo

I had the pleasure of catching Trey on 3/5 - the second of two shows that was added the night before, and what a treat it turned out to be. Being a huge Phish fan in the early and mid 90's I've been trying to get myself to go back to see some shows for a couple of years but the timing was just never right, and there were plenty of other shows occupying my time and cash. I was really excited when I found out he was playing the Fox the week after my pending move to Atlanta, but all the air was let out of my tires when the show sold out in about two seconds. It had been five years, what is another couple of years, I told myself. Needless to say I was pleased when the second show was added, and somewhat curious to see what this show would be about

This was my first trip to the Fox, and it was wonderful all around. The place was not nearly packed to capacity and there was plenty of room to get down. The décor is medieval like with stars painted on the ceiling, and a real clean and proper feel to it, and it is quite possibly the nicest indoor place I've had the pleasure of seeing music in. Once the music started I was instantly reminded of why I used to travel all over to see Phish. Trey is an absolute master of the guitar. Now I have not heard any Phish from the last 3 or 4 years, aside from a Trey tape from his last solo tour, but the first few licks of "Gotta Jibboo" seemed very familiar and catchy. This first song seemed to last for a good 15 minutes and hit a real nice groove that extended nicely before coming back to the endless refrain.

The "Downtown" again was catchy and allowed Trey plenty of room to get his groove on. The horn section added quite a bit to certain songs, but during others it seemed a bit strained to fit them in. Many of the tunes started off with the horns playing a strong role, then the groove was broken down all the way, only to be turned back over by Trey with a series of mind-blowing solos. Only then did the horns kick back in. Don't get me wrong, I was there to hear Trey go off, and go off he did, but at times it seemed a bit formulaic. Then again the formula was a really good one focused on the star of the evening. "Done Done It" was my personal favorite of the first set, followed quite nicely by a sweet cover of "Oh Child." The range of music touched upon in the first set alone was impressive. I'd say most were jazzy, but certain tunes had a real latin flavor to them, and others were kind of funky.

There were several really mellow moments during the breakdown portions of the jams, but all in all a nice way to kick things off. The second set started off song oriented like, before plunging into uncharted jam territory led by Trey. The highlight for me was the "Way I feel" with its happy grooves. All the songs had that good time feel to them. That really got the crowd to respond. Trey has become quite a showman, dancing around to the rhythm section as he peels his way up and down the fretboard. There is no doubt that he was having a ball, just like the attendees. The second set seemed more up-tempo in general to me, and hit some real nice groove zones where I lost myself more than once in Trey's endless array of note hitting. During one of the jams he was looping a synth on his keys while playing over it with a nasty tone on his guitar.

I was thoroughly impressed by the light show also. Having grown accustomed to Panic's lights, and being there more to hear than to see, I typically don't pay too much attention, but after catching a few SCI shows this past fall I noticed how they could subtly add to the music, without distracting the listener. Well, Phish's lightman went way beyond the call of duty. Mixing up an array of effects, he totally caught my attention on several occasions, and had the whole crowd applauding him more than one once. The encore started off with Trey solo for "Back On The Train". This was followed by a huge "Bathtub Gin" which was accompanied by a singalong from the crowd (is this typical these days at a Phish show?), and Trey was really mixing it up on his acoustic. The rest of the band came back out and joined him for a rocking cover of Stevie Wonder's "Signed Sealed and Delivered" that sent me away happy and satisfied. This was exactly what I needed to get myself back into Trey's brand of music.

[site editor's note: the following review should have appeared in the Feb issue but due to some confusion on this end it did not appear. So here it is, from the fertile fingertips of Rob Turner...]

Bela Fleck And The Flecktones
Center Stage
Atlanta, GA
February 10, 2001
By - Rob Turner
Setlist

Earth Jam
Big Country
Scuttlebutt
Sunset Road
Victor Wooten bass solo
New Song
Future Man (RoyEl) drum/percussion solo
*Stomping Grounds
New song
A Moment So Close
Grammy Rap
Two Horny Blues
Bela Fleck banjo solo
Hoedown
* - w/ Wipe Out jam

Well, Center Stage is back, but many who were seeing their first show here were very disappointed with the ticket situation. Even though those in charge of the venue knew that they had a sold out show on their hands, they were painfully unprepared for the volume of people that showed up to enjoy Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on this chilly Saturday night. We arrived at about 8:15pm, and by the time it was 9 o'clock, we were still waiting in the cold. When Fleck started his show fifteen minutes after the advertised 9 o'clock time, there were still well over a hundred people waiting outside. Somebody was kind enough to grab me and escort me into the show so that I only missed ten or fifteen minutes, but there were quite a few folks who paid over thirty dollars only to stand in the chilly Atlanta weather waiting to pick up their tickets for half of the first set. Apparently, the extra charges attached to the base ticket price on this night were directed to supporting this inconvenience. Hopefully, this venue will rectify the problem so that it doesn't garner a reputation like that of another Atlanta club, The Tabernacle, where if you don't have "hard" tickets, you are forced to choose between enjoying a nice pre-show dinner and missing some of the show, or arriving early and so you can have a decent spot in line when they open their box office shortly before show time.

Everybody is pulling for the Center Stage to get its shit together, because once inside, it is a killer place to see music. The sound is perfect, and the sightlines are pretty much optimal. They also have enough bartenders to accommodate the crowd, and most of them are friendly, each of which are rarities in Atlanta.

My friend and I found a spot at the back of the room where we could gently groove to the music without disturbing those who prefer to enjoy their music while seated. Even though we couldn't be further from the stage, we had a great view, and with the exception of occasional slight feedback problems, or brief moments of overly loud drums, the sound was impeccable. Once able look over the standing area, in front of the stage, we realized that the show was grossly oversold. Some even left because they found nowhere to enjoy the performance.

However, those who stayed were treated to a wonderful Flecktones show. Bela seemed to be playing more "straight" banjo (as opposed to his banjo/guitar instruments) than in recent memory, and he was clearly on from the Big Country that we enjoyed as we settled into the show. Bassist Victor Wooten and sax man Jeff Coffin engaged in some stunning interplay, which set the tone for the evening. Bela dipped into his "UFO Tofu" album for a slightly re-arranged take on Scuttlebutt. He was throwing out banjo runs at breakneck speed between effortless returns to the song's melody. He also explored some creative tonality that seemed to be a salute to jazz masters like Coltrane, Monk and Parker. Victor's muscular bass catapulted the band from Jeff Coffin's solo into a psychedelic Fleck lead.

Drummer RoyEl ("Futureman") Wooten displayed that his vocal delivery has continued to improve as he sang along gently with Coffin's elegant sax work in the prelude to Sunset Road. This song was originally released as an instrumental on the band's self-titled debut album, and it has evolved quite a bit since then. RoyEl's vocals strengthened the reflective feel of the piece, as did Fleck's texture-exploring solo. RoyEl's vocal was rich with emotion and clarity on this moving version. With him singing, a whole new realm of possibilities opens up for this already diverse musical unit.

The proud parent of a recently born second child, Victor Wooten bounced into another stunning bass solo. Tonight he backed off on some of the antics of recent solos, like spinning the bass around his shoulder, pretending to throw his bass into the crowd, or simultaneously playing two basses. He stuck to what makes many call him the best bass player on the planet. He developed an uptempo theme, which he then toyed with dynamically, braking it down into insane mayhem. This guy is mesmerizing to even the most casual music fan. Some of the lightning quick runs that he delivered high up on the bass were otherworldly. He also coaxed some frog-like croaking out of his guitar, which he kept returning to even as he had moved away from the theme from which the sound originally arose. As Victor had twisted his tuning knobs for sonic effect during the solo, Bela quipped, "yeah man, that really came together once you got the bass in tune."

The band then offered a brand new tune described by Fleck as being about, "this girl from Switzerland who decides to go to Cuba, but she has to go to Canada first," to which RoyEl added, "she's from Holland." Fleck and Wooten intertwined their quirky runs in the opening notes before Jeff Coffin dove into the Latin rhythm of the first section of the song. Perhaps the "girl" being from Switzerland is relating to the sort of European (even European Klezmer) feel of one section of the song. The girl moving to Cuba could relate to the other part of the song, which has a palpable Cuban and Caribbean feel. I was hoping Futureman would find a way to goad some steel drums out of his SynthAxe Drumitar, but it never happened. The song was brief, each musician was afforded the chance to step out front, and Fleck's fingers darted across the fret board on his brief solo.

Like most Flecktones second sets, this one opened with a RoyEl Wooten offering his mastery of rhythm in a solo setting. He pounded out a variety of tempos. He had some sampled voices of what sounded like African children singing a nursery rhyme in Swahili. He would build the complexity of the rhythm of each section of his solo, then artfully slap his synthesizer to bring the children's voices back at just the right moment. The voices served as relief for the ear from the challenging and complex array of sound that Wooten offers when he is free to create on his own. Although he frequently incorporates this method, it seems to unfurl in a different way every time.

Just as the thunderous applause for this solo died down, the band roared into the appropriately titled Stompin' Grounds. The band galloped through the composed section of the song with stunning ease. Then, with RoyEl reacting smartly in the background the other three exchanged licks in rapid-fire succession, challenging each other with their creativity. Victor quoted the theme from the Andy Griffith Show at one point, which Coffin and Fleck jumped on, and then the creativity moved into a bizarre direction spinning away from that theme. The musicians came together and drifted into a quiet portion of music, and then Coffin started sending out some quiet trills. This led to some phenomenal quiet interplay, which built to quick quiet exchanges of runs between these three. Fleck started hinting at Wipe Out, which the other three jumped on immediately to the delight of the crowd. (Although this seemed spontaneous, a couple of Fleck "tour heads" told me that the band has been injecting WO into Stompin' quite a bit lately). They toyed with Wipe Out briefly, even giving Futureman some drum breaks, before bringing the music into some stunning jazz spaces. Again, the music drifted into a quiet space, this time down to an ethereal whisper, with some improvised stop/starts, the last two of which were held for periods so long they induced laughter from the crowd. From this whisper, the band launched back into the melody of the song and brought it to it's typically rousing conclusion.

The band then DEBUTED a new song. Fleck introduced it as "just a friendly little waltz," but while it had a waltz feel, my less trained ear also hear elements of mountain music and even classical. It sounded like something you could hear as music on a Civil War documentary, very reflective and almost mournful at times. Pat Metheny fans may be drawn to this (as many of them are to much of the Flecktones music) as it had a distinctive early Metheny Group feel.

RoyEl Wooten then sang A Moment So Close. His lead vocal was a bit tentative, and the band's performance was not up to its own high standard as far as tightness and consistent energy. Victor's superb bass solo toward the beginning, and Futureman's ferocious drum break toward the end of the piece saved it from being the only dud of the night. The version on "Outbound" is tremendous, with Jon Anderson and Shawn Colvin lending vocals, and if you haven't heard it yet, I would highly recommend it.

Fleck then commented on the "identity complex" that the band had resulting from all of the different musical categories that the band's latest CD "Outbound" was nominated for (contemporary jazz, country, pop, etc.). He then gave his impression of artists he thinks about when he thinks of each genre, (whimsically mentioning local legend Colonel Bruce Hampton each time) and how he doesn't feel that The Flecktones sound like any of these groups. He then saluted the sold out crowd for showing up, and giving them the sense that "you know who we are."

The band then featured Jeff Coffin, and he led them through his Two Horny Blues. This song has quickly become a favorite of many Flecktones fans, as it allows Coffin to display his impressive lungs. He plays two saxophones simultaneously for much of the song, sometimes over a spooky sound effect coming from Bela's equipment. He offered a spectacular solo early in the song that first explored some hypnotic subtlety. As it progressed, he began to inject little moments of sizzling runs, and entertaining pops and quacks. As the solo continued on, he riveted the crowd by easing into a very moving, mighty solo. After a brief moment of gentle ensemble playing, Fleck followed with a quiet bluesy electric banjo solo. Coffin also led the band through a quirky, extended conclusion to the song, locking in with Futureman for some craziness just before they slammed down the last note.

Bela Fleck closed the show with an amazing, and lengthy solo spot. With the exception of a couple of Yee-Haw types, the crowd was strikingly respectful and quiet for Bela. He rewarded them by taking us on a journey that started with bluegrass and ended with classical, hitting a dizzying array of styles and references in between. He took full advantage of the freedom of the solo setting. Some of the swirling runs that he tossed out were nothing short of incredible. He seamlessly moved the solo along, at one point toying with Linus And Lucy (of Peanuts fame) for a while, at another point using his nose to help his left hand work (a trick he pulls out frequently). Other times he would juxtapose catchy little melodies with flurries delivered with alacrity. Right at the very end, he teased a bunch of classical pieces (I wish I knew this genre better, but one of them reminded me of a music box I had as a child). After mesmerizing the crowd for ten minutes or so (with literally only one audible flubbed note), the encore of a thoroughly enjoyable, if straight (except for one last swirling, extended Fleck solo) take on the lead track from "Outbound," Hoedown, seemed anticlimactic.