Bela Fleck : Watch some idiot offend him!

[PocketGroove82]

Bela Fleck : Banjo Innovations OH MAN...WHERE TO START!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42ZXEYsulU

This video just makes me sick. Bela is a guest artist at this place and they spend a full minute introducing the a-hole (who can barely even play piano) who is suppose to introduce Bela, and then the pompous bastard jumps right into a blues.

After the terrible performance, Bela is like the blues isn't my bag, moron. You know nothing of my work. Then the idiot college professor speaks to him like some some of long island shrink, starts calling jazz standards going on the thin premise that Bela is a "jazz banjo player", and in general, comes off like a totally ignoramus . Obviously, this Lewis Porter guy has know clue who the hell Bela Fleck is and he ruins one of Bela's compositions later in the video! In the middle of the video, someone asks Bela about his banjo influences so he picks for a bit and everyone just laughs like the music that influenced him was retarded (granted, he was picking the beverly hill billies theme)...but still.

This "Philocetetes Center" is a real piece of work. Also, note the way they cry about the whole ponzi scheme which robbed them of all their investments throughout the entire video.

OMFG

EPIC FAIL and an INSULT to a musical genius.

[Fretless1!]

Woah. That was a hot mess. And I put it squarely on the shoulders of the piano player.

Son, the idea is to make your guest and/or improvisational partner sound good not show off your chops and miserably fail to build a good musical foundation.

[baalroo]

I love how Bela tries to throw out cues to end the lame blues song at the beginning and the guy doesn't pick up on it.

[fishtx]

This jerk is just another "Ward Churchill" type academic who is "holier than thou", and no one can tell him anything...Bela has more patience than i do...I would have packed up my stuff and said "Adios"...

[dan.ablett]

painful. poor bela

[PocketGroove82]

Yeah, guys. I'm glad other people notice how rude and awful that "jazz pianist" is. Amazingly, Bela still manages to share a lot of information and insight later on in the vid.

Still though, I love the way that gump of a "jazz pianist" keeps begging Bela to "play free" with him and Bela is just like, "umm...I'll just play something solo". lol. It reminds me of some old cliche about musicians who say they play "Free Jazz" and they get away with it, when really they just don't have the ability to play anything coherent.

He even says something like "I used to play 'All the Things You Are' all the time but now I haven't played it in 10 years"...lol, I want to slap him and say, dude, you're a jazz piano player...umm, playing all the things is nothing to brag about.

Originally Posted by fishtx

This jerk is just another "Ward Churchill" type academic

I did some research on the guy and it turns out his book, a biography on Coltrane, has been very controversial and most other biographers think it's garbage. lol. He even flounders like a fish during this hilarious interview with All About Jazz.com:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=1215

I love the way he throws out random and unfounded percentages to bulk up his argument...which is a retarded one at best, aaahhh yeah, sorry chief, we all know coltrane was influential.

Freaking Laughable. I feel bad for any of his students who buy into his BS. I'm saving this video as an example of "how not to accompany someone better than you."

[RustyAxe]

Lord have mercy! That guy doing the intro sounds like every other jackass self-perceived intellectual I meet in my travels. So full of himself he can't tell it's really just shite. blah ... blah ... blah ... freekin' turd.

And that piano player? He left no room for Bela ... but Bela made some room when he saw it, and made that piano look like a complete fool. Bela should have addressed the audience, invited them to the room next door, and left the piano player sitting in his own mess.

[alapantera]

I haven't watched the whole thing, but some of what Bela says is still interesting. The pianist is a terrible interviewer and seems like he's never played with other musicians before. Just very awkward to watch at times.

[Pacman]

I seriously have to doubt an "educator" who can't pronounce "repertoire"....

[Oric]

at the beginning, I can see Bela's look of annoyance... I never would have imagined that, it must be hard to bug such a nice person. This piano player sums up every problem I have with modern jazz study. Miles Davis probably would have had a choice word for him.
edit: oh man, I just noticed people laughing when he starts the Scruggs style playing. I would have just left after that

[bass12]

That was some of the worst music I've ever heard! I love it when Bela politely mentions that the chords Dr Moron was playing were wrong...

[nortonrider]

I can't help but think about the professor telling his friends that the banjo picker totally messed up his recital.

[Jaboof11]

Ha...2:53 he said it all....

[fishtx]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

I can't help but think about the professor telling his friends that the banjo picker totally messed up his recital.

Exactly...