To celebrate his upcoming album, Live Heart: My Bluegrass Heart at The Ryman, Béla Fleck has released a music video for one of the tracks, Blue Mountain Hop.
Live Heart, which will be available on two CDs, three vinyl discs, or for download and streaming, was recorded live at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on January 8, 2022. This is in the thick of the touring Béla was doing in support of his My Bluegrass Heart project, widely billed as his return to bluegrass music.
That album, released in 2021, featured a stunning list of bluegrass all-stars, as did the subsequent tour. The Ryman date recorded for Live Heart included performances by Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Edgar Meyer, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton, Tony Trischka, and Molly Tuttle. Like the record, artists were grouped live much as they were tracked for Béla’s album, and the shows were universally praised for the musicianship and artistry on display.
Blue Mountain Hop served as the show opener, with Sam Bush walking out on his own and starting his instantly recognizable rhythm chop, followed in turn by Bryan Sutton, Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglas, and Edgar Meyer, each adding to the single-chord jam as they entered. Finally, Fleck joins the ensemble and counts off the tune.
The video offers a brief look at the intensity captured during this concert.
Blue Mountain Hop is available now as a single from popular download and streaming services online. Pre-orders for the Live Heart album are likewise enabled ahead of its October 16 release.
