The Stone Pony: In 2001, you won Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Arrangement and Best Classical Crossover Album. You’ve been nominated for so many awards in different categories, that it must be impossible to keep track. What does adding two more mean to you at this point in your career, and are you proud of the fact that you’re consistently being recognized in different genres?

Béla Fleck: It is fun to be in so many places musically. The Grammy categories reflect that fact.  I take a little bit of guilty pride in getting nominations in places where a banjo normally would not be found.

The Stone Pony: Fill music fans in on the Grammy statues themselves. What are they like to hold? You’ve won five of the little statues over the years, where do you keep them all?

BF: They are not all that stunning as pieces of art, but they are on my bookshelf.

The Stone Pony: You’ve been working on a new CD, a double album that’s been reported to include a number of special guests. Where are you currently in the recording process, and how much longer do you expect to be laying down tracks and producing the record? Have you chosen a title yet?

BF: Tentatively we are calling the album "Little Worlds".  The album is done, and possibly will end up being a triple album.

The Stone Pony: When putting together such an extensive project, especially involving a number of musicians, how much of your role is as a performer, and how much is as a musical director? What are the challenges in putting together so many different sounds on a recording to not only achieve what you’re hearing in your own head, but create something that will appeal to fans both on CD and when performed live?

BF: I love the recording process, where you can build on your previous work, and get creative without always having my instrument in my hands. It as exciting to develop someone's part on tape as to play something myself.

The Stone Pony: In February, you released your first DVD, “Live at the Quick”, with a companion live CD, collected from two sold-out shows in Fairfield, Connecticut. Why was now the right time to release live performances in this format, and how involved were you in the process of producing the DVD?

BF: I was very hands-on on the music selection, and mixing and the shots that were used in the piece. The choice to do it had to do with several opportunities to use the same material, two TV shows, a DVD and a CD. This justified the high cost of doing this project properly.

The Stone Pony: Was there anything that surprised you when you had an opportunity to see yourself and the band performing live? After playing for so many years, are you still self-critical when you hear playbacks or have to make final decisions during the mastering process? Do you enjoy the production process, or are you comfortable leaving that to others once you are finished recording?

BF: I was proud of the band's performance. I still find it difficult to look at myself on camera. I do enjoy the production duties, but if someone else could put the time and care in that I do, I would relinquish the job gladly.

The Stone Pony: It is not uncommon for you to be referred to as the “greatest banjo player performing today.” What do you see as the role of the banjo in modern music, and are there musicians who you see as following your example and taking the instrument into new areas? Do you consider the banjo to be a more versatile instrument than, say, the piano or guitar?

BF: The banjo is it's own instrument, just like any other. There are sounds that can only be made on banjo.  There are some fantastic banjo players out there, and new ones coming up.

The Stone Pony: Talk about your instrument for a moment. Do you have a collection of banjos? Which are your particular favorites, and is there a primary instrument which you utilize for recording and performance?

BF: I have several instruments. If I spend time working on the way they sound, they all end up sounding more like my main banjo, a 1937 Gibson style 75.

The Stone Pony: Your last solo album, “Perpetual Motion”, was released in late 2001 and features your interpretations of twenty classical transcriptions. It would seem to be a daunting challenge just to select the material to include on such an album, never mind actually perform it competently. Was that album an effort to challenge yourself, or just a chance to record music which had inspired you? Looking back, are you pleased with that effort, and did you accomplish what you were seeking to do? Any plans for a similar follow-up project?

BF: I loved working so hard on music I didn't write. That is unusual for me. And the chance to be that intimate with such fabulous compositions was a great experience for me. I would do it again. Currently I am working on a concerto for banjo, bass and orchestra with my friend Edgar Meyer.

The Stone Pony: How important is it for an artist to be exposed to a wide range of musical influences? As someone who is almost uniquely accomplished in such a diverse selection of musical styles, how do you feel about the industry’s almost obsessive need to categorize every artist and musical style, and do you feel that limits the creativity of most artists who want to be commercially successful?

BF: I think the artists should ignore the industry and make music that they are proud of.  This is supposed to be human expression. Power to the people!