Center for the Arts to Present Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on Oct. 6

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present the Grammy Award-winning musical group, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at 8 p.m. on Oct. 6 in the Mainstage theater, located at the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

The performance will mark the band's sixth appearance in the Center for the Arts. The band has announced that it will not tour in 2005.

A New York City native, Bela Fleck picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass playing of Flatt & Scruggs. He began experimenting with playing bebop on the banjo in high school. In 1982, he joined the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, where he made a name for himself in the country-bluegrass world, at the same time beginning a series of groundbreaking solo albums. Often considered the premiere banjo player in the world, Fleck virtually has reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo in a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map, both with the Flecktones and on a range of solo projects and collaborations.

Since the group's formation in 1989, the Flecktones' relentless touring has garnered major attention, highlighting the interplay of true virtuoso musicians: Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist Future Man, and saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Famed for routinely playing over 200 concert dates a year, the Flecktones reach more than 500,000 audience members each year.

The Flecktones made their self-titled debut recording in 1990, at the time dubbed a "blu-bop" mix of jazz and bluegrass, and soon became a commercially successful, critically acclaimed and award-winning band. Their eight album releases document their musical evolution and their multiple Grammy awards in numerous categories are a testament to their wide-reaching talent.

Tickets for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are $32 for the general public and $26 for UB students with ID, and go on sale at 10 a.m. on June 25. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.