Eleven p.m. and the queue stretching three-quarters of the way down the Black Box carpark tells this reviewer, at least, that he has some catching up to do. Never having heard of this group until about seven hours ago I, like many others here tonight, am not quite sure what to expect. Minutes later, mop-headed Bela leads his Flecktones onto the stage and we get to hear what all the fuss is about - a kind of sci-fi jazz centred around the grounded bluegrass banjo of Fleck himself.
As befits the last night of their European tour, the band exude an infectious, laid-back charm. Victor Lemonte Wooten plays a sinewy, sumptuous bass, Jeff Coffin a hyperactive, versatile sax, and percussionist Roy Wooten (aka Future Man) keeps time on an electronic box of tricks called a "Synthaxe Drumitar", which looks like a left-over prop from Mad Max but contains more drum samples than any human being has ever needed before.
Tracks that stand out include Earth Jam from the new album, Outbound, whose frenetic phrasing could be the first milestone in 21st-century jazz, and Too Horny Blues, where Coffin brings the house down by playing two saxophones at the same time. In the musical democracy known as jazz, Fleck is unafraid to let his band members steal their own limelight. Still, the least you can expect from someone who once played with both Big Bird and Spinal Tap is that he knows how to let others shine. That, in itself, is more than enough reason to applaud.
Galway Arts Festival continues until Sunday. Booking from: 091-566577 or from www.galwayartsfestival.ie
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