Banjo virtuosos Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn bring their distinct musical personalities and banjo styles to a diverse repertoire spanning Appalachian murder ballads, gospel, chamber and blues. Don’t miss them on their first Australian tour, hot on the heels of their win at the 2016 Grammy Awards for ‘Best Folk Album'.

Sure, in the abstract, a banjo duo might seem like a musical concept beset by limitations. But when the banjo players cast in those roles are Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck-she with the earthy sophistication of a postmodern, old-time singer-songwriter, he with the virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity of an iconic instrumentalist and composer with bluegrass roots- it's a different matter entirely. There's no denying that theirs is a one-of-a-kind pairing, with one-of-a-kind possibilities.

Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn present their eponymous debut album as a duo, after many years of prominence as banjo players and composers in their own eclectic avenues. Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn is a front porch banjo and vocal album of new music, Appalachian murder ballads, gospel, chamber and blues; the culmination of a yearlong tour as a duo in 2013, following the birth of their son, Juno.

Bela, an icon and innovator of jazz, classical and world, with more multi-category GRAMMY wins than any other artist (15 total), and Abigail, a formidable talent with triumphs in songwriting, theater, performance, and even Chinese diplomacy by way of banjo, turn out to be quite a fortuitous pairing with a deep, distinct and satisfying outcome.

According to Bela, "finding a way to make every song have its own unique stamp, yet the whole project having a big cohesive sound - with only two people," was at the core of their joint vision. Demonstrating seemingly unlimited rhythmic, tonal and melodic capabilities, Fleck and Washburn confirm the banjo's versatility as the perfect backdrop to the rich lyrical component that Fleck and Washburn offer, "Sometimes when you add other instruments, you take away from the banjo's being able to show all its colors, which are actually quite beautiful."