Off the Couch: Bela Fleck concerto Thursday

Bela Fleck will present his second concerto, "Juno," Thursday with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera.
Bela Fleck will present his second concerto, "Juno," Thursday with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera.

BARRY COURTER: Lisa, I know you are proficient on the kazoo, and I'm betting you like a good banjo tune as well. Who doesn't, right? But I bet most people picture a man in a straw hat with armbands holding his sleeves up while he picks out a tune on a riverboat.

LISA DENTON: There's certainly nothing wrong with the riverboat image. Throw in a handlebar mustache, and you're all set.

BARRY: Yep, that's pretty much the image Bela Fleck has been trying to change throughout his career. Arguably the world's foremost banjo player, he'll be in town on Thursday to perform "Juno" with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. It's a concerto he wrote, and it's actually the second one he's written. I got to talk to him last week, and it was fascinating hearing him talk about learning to write for a symphony. He said it was both empowering and frightening.

"It's a control freak's dream, but you live or die from it," he told me.

LISA: Oh, that reminds me of one of my favorite jokes. It goes:

Knock knock.

Who's there?

Control freak. Now you say, "Control freak who?"

Hahahaha. I totally know people like that.

Now you write something.

BARRY: I heard a joke last week about a man who bragged he had such control over his wife, just the other day he had her on her knees. His friends were so impressed, they asked what happened next.

The braggart said his wife told him to come out from under the bed and to fight like a man.

Speaking of jokes, here's a pro tip: Bela Fleck has heard all of the banjo jokes, and he doesn't think they are funny. Don't ask me how I know.

Anyway, this is also the last show in the Levitt AMP Series, and it features Tank and the Bangas. As we noted when we announced the series, you don't have to think too hard about what kind of band this is. It's going to be a party. The shows have a strong community building mission, and they take place on the lawn at The Bessie.

LISA: There hasn't been a bad act in the bunch during the run of this series, but this is really a get. They win points just for their name, for starters. I wonder how often people call them Bank and the Tangas by mistake. Anyway, they're a soul-funk group out of New Orleans, and they won this year's NPR Tiny Desk Contest.

I'm better suited for a Messy Desk Contest, but there's no applause for that.

BARRY: I'm right there with you on that. Did you know that the Boxcar Pinion Bluegrass Festival that takes place in the spring is moving to Mountain Cove Farms in Chickamauga? Our friend Cindy Pinion is also presenting the Forever Bluegrass Fall Festival this weekend there. It's a beautiful location.

Get event details every Thursday in Chattanooga Now or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.

Upcoming Events