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On Being with Krista Tippett

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn – Truth, Beauty, Banjo

On Being with Krista Tippett

On Being Studios

Sociology, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Krista Tippett, Arts, Culture, On Being, Society, Society & Culture, Science, Social Sciences

4.710.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We are digging into the archives to celebrate some of the conversations listeners have loved the most and that have shaped this project. Béla Fleck is one of the greatest living banjo players. He’s followed what many experience as this quintessential American roots instrument back to its roots in Africa, and he’s taken it where no banjo has gone before. Abigail Washburn is a celebrated banjo player and singer, both in English and Chinese. These two are partners in music and in life — recovering something ancient and deeply American all at once, bringing both beauty and refreshment to what they play and how they live.

Transcript

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0:00.0

On Being is brought to you by the John Templeton Foundation,

0:03.6

harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest

0:07.0

and most perplexing questions facing humankind.

0:10.6

Learn about the latest discoveries in the study of hope

0:13.1

and optimism, intellectual humility, and free will

0:16.6

at templeton.org.

0:18.6

Baile Fleck is one of the greatest living banjo players.

0:29.2

He's followed what many experience as this quintessential

0:32.2

American roots instrument back to its roots in Africa,

0:36.0

and he's taken it where no banjo has gone before.

0:39.4

Abigail Washburn is a celebrated banjo player

0:42.1

and singer, both in English and Chinese.

0:45.6

These two are partners in music and in life,

0:48.8

recovering something ancient and deeply American all at once,

0:53.1

bringing both beauty and refreshment to what they play

0:56.9

and how they live.

0:58.9

Belend of deepest shame, unpears by human thought.

1:13.1

When I heard Doc Watson, I felt like I heard the beauty

1:16.7

of authentic American culture, and I wanted it so bad.

1:22.3

I'd been looking for it so badly, and I finally heard it

1:26.0

when I heard Doc, this high-learned,

1:28.2

searching, struggling, suffering, hopeful voice,

...

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