Fleck and Wooten Tear Up Sanders

Stevie Wonder tunes, Latin dances, and jazzy melodies reverberated through Sanders Theatre among snaps and nodding heads as Béla Fleck and Victor Wooten strummed away on Saturday night. Sounds of Fleck’s banjo and Wooten’s bass paired together beautifully throughout the whole concert, sometimes mellow and sometimes bright, but always soulful and deeply engaging.

Long-term partners, Wooten and Fleck were original members of the band “The Flecktones”, which the latter started in 1988. The band has made numerous appearances throughout the years, including on screen with the “Tonight Show”, “Saturday Night Live”, and “Late Night with David Letterman.” Known for its diversified repertoire, the band created original fusions of classical, funk, bluegrass, rock, and world traditions that have won them six Grammy awards and wide acclaim.

Saturday’s performance was a manifestation of the band’s eclecticism. The show opener piece was upbeat and funky, and a couple of measures sounded awfully close to the famous opening chords of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. With such delightful surprises, as well as an impressive series of runs from Wooten, the duo established an engaging presence on stage. Their synchronization was precise and skillful, matched only by their movements back and forth on stage.

However, the slow and soulful pieces came across just as well. As Fleck and Wooten sat across from each other, gently strumming their acoustic broken chords on the strings, the music evoked a serene nighttime beach: The beat was rocking water slapping waves across the sand, and the alluring melody was the moonlight glittering over the sea.

The duo also made a point for the audience to take note of a piece in the unusual and difficult 11/16 time signature. This complex structure called for distinct rhythms that deviated from pieces that people, usually accustomed to music that comes in counts of multiples of 3 or 4 instead of 11, could sing and tap their feet to. However, the rhythm and beat flowed naturally with no sign of struggle, and the duo pulled off the impressive feat easily.

Fleck and Wooten took advantage of multiple banjos and basses each, switching among them depending on the mood of the piece. The variation and diversity of pieces in the show showcased all that Fleck could pull off without losing his flair and personal touch. “Stomping Grounds” was the most folky piece and twanged with country vibes, while the preceding piece rang with tributes to Stevie Wonder. Latin flairs also added a sassy touch that Fleck was able to accomplish perfectly on the banjo. Most notably, Fleck’s African excursion in 2005 was evident in some of his pieces, with chords and beats reminiscent of tribal influences.

In solo sections, Fleck simply shone. His count of 15 Grammy awards and 30 nominations spoke for itself, but to hear him live unveiled another treasure altogether. The raw banjo rang throughout the theatre, with his round sound resounding in his whimsical runs. Wooten executed his solo sections to the point, but what brought him above was his attention to performance. Known for his dedicated work in music outreach and education, Wooten has published a much-acclaimed novel, “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music.” This passion for music was clearly reflected on the stage not only through his music but also through his engaging visual performance that he committed his whole body to. At one point, Wooten on the bass made a lighthearted and joking addition as he almost pretended to come in at parts of Fleck’s solo, but always pausing and waiting a few more measures. Finally, when he did come in, however, the deep sounds of the bass completed the ensemble.

The lighting in the theater, from mellow purplish vibes to warm yellow, also helped to make the show more visual and complemented the tones set by the music. The Sanders stage provided plenty of room for the performance, though perhaps the setup could have taken advantage of more of that room.