Left of Cool
Encyclopedia
Left of Cool is the fifth studio album released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
, released in 1998.
, who had already toured with the band after the departure of Howard Levy
. The album cover depicts Future Man
, Béla Fleck
, and Victor Wooten
standing on Coffin's head.
On the Live at the Quick DVD, Fleck describes how after the melody for "Big Country" came to him, he called his answering machine and sang it so it would not be lost.
A different arrangement of "Sojourn of Arjuna" appears on Victor Wooten's album What Did He Say?
released the previous year.
Guests include Dave Matthews
and Amy Grant
.
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones is a primarily instrumental group from the United States, that draws equally on bluegrass, fusion and jazz, sometimes dubbed "blu-bop". The band formed in 1988, initially to perform once on the PBS series Lonesome Pine Specials. The Flecktones have toured extensively...
, released in 1998.
History
Left of Cool is the first album to feature Jeff CoffinJeff Coffin
Jeff Coffin is an American jazz and alternative rock musician best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In addition to the saxophone, he plays clarinet, flute and oboe.-Biography:...
, who had already toured with the band after the departure of Howard Levy
Howard Levy
Howard Levy is a Grammy Award–winning, American harmonicist, pianist, composer, and producer....
. The album cover depicts Future Man
Future Man
Roy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
, Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
, and Victor Wooten
Victor Wooten
Victor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
standing on Coffin's head.
On the Live at the Quick DVD, Fleck describes how after the melody for "Big Country" came to him, he called his answering machine and sang it so it would not be lost.
A different arrangement of "Sojourn of Arjuna" appears on Victor Wooten's album What Did He Say?
What Did He Say?
-Track listing:1. "Yo Victa" – 0:072. "What Did He Say?" – 3:20*Victor Wooten - Bass, Lead and background vocals*JD Blair - Drums, Background vocals*Cherokee - Background vocals3. "What You Won't Do for Love" – 4:43*Victor Wooten - Bass*JD Blair - Drums4...
released the previous year.
Guests include Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
and Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "Often, it's enjoyable to just hear them jam; however, for most fans, the greatest pleasure on Left of Cool will be finding the little details within the solos. The opener, "Throwdown at the Hoedown," is one of a handful of cuts that really makes a lasting impression."Track listing
- Note: the liner notesLiner notesLiner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
swap tracks 6 and 7. The list below reflects the tracks as they are ordered on the album itself.- "Throwdown At The Hoedown" (Béla FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
) – 5:09 - "Communication" (music: Fleck/Future ManFuture ManRoy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
; lyrics: Fleck) – 4:16 - "Big Country" (Fleck) – 5:31
- "Sojourn Of Arjuna" (music: Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
/Future Man; lyrics: Future Man, adapted from Bhagavad GitaBhagavad GitaThe ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
) – 5:27 - "Let Me Be The One" (music: Wooten/Fleck/Future Man; lyrics: Fleck) – 4:38
- "Trane To Conamarra" (Fleck/Jeff CoffinJeff CoffinJeff Coffin is an American jazz and alternative rock musician best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In addition to the saxophone, he plays clarinet, flute and oboe.-Biography:...
) – 6:48 - "Almost 12" (Wooten/Fleck/Future Man) – 3:15
- "Step Quiet" (Fleck/Sarah MasonSarah MasonSarah Fay Wright , sometimes credited as Sarah Mason, is an American actress and former fashion model who played the character of Paige Chase in the sitcom Quintuplets. She co-starred in the sitcom The Loop as Lizzy during the first season...
) – 4:02 - "Oddity" (Fleck) – 5:32
- "Sleeping Dogs Lie" (Fleck) – 4:02
- "Trouble and Strife" (Fleck) – 5:15
- "Slow Walker" (Fleck) – 5:23
- "shanti" (Fleck/Coffin) – 5:12
- "The Big Blink" (Fleck) – 7:57
- "Prelude To Silence" (Future Man) – 3:55
- "Throwdown At The Hoedown" (Béla Fleck
The Flecktones
- Béla FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
- banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, thereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device... - Future ManFuture ManRoy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
- synthaxe drumitar, acoustic percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, vocals - Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
es, standup bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... - Jeff CoffinJeff CoffinJeff Coffin is an American jazz and alternative rock musician best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In addition to the saxophone, he plays clarinet, flute and oboe.-Biography:...
- saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, saxello, singing bowlSinging bowlSinging bowls are a type of bell, specifically classified as a standing bell. Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, singing bowls sit with the bottom surface resting...
Guest musicians
- Dave MatthewsDave MatthewsDavid John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
- vocals on tracks 2 and 11 - Amy GrantAmy GrantAmy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
- vocals on track 8
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Billboard Heatseekers | 6 |
| 1998 | Billboard The Billboard 200 | 191 |
| 1998 | Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums | 3 |