Photo by William Masters

Acclaimed banjoist/fusion master Béla Fleck has revealed that he has a brand new studio project Bluegrass Heart in the works, marking his first bluegrass LP 20+ years.

Today, Fleck has exclusively shared the album’s lead single “Charm School.” Clocking in over eight minutes, the track features fellow twang experts Chris Thile and Billy Stinrgs.

Explains Fleck of the new tune, “’Charm School’ started out with a banjo tune in C, using loads of harmonics. ‘C harm.’ Get it? In some ways, it’s the wildest and jammiest track on the album, and yet highly melodic and organized. I feel this was the perfect vehicle for this band and the perfect band for this song. And when you think about us musical dogs that sometimes need to go crazy, yet live in a world where we’re expected to follow the rules, maybe it’s the perfect title, too.”

Added Strings, “In my opinion, Béla Fleck is one of the most important musicians of all time. He bridges the gap between bluegrass, classical, jazz, world music, and everything in between. It seems like there’s no limit to what he can achieve on the banjo.”

Bluegrass Heart will be released on Sept. 10 via Renew Records / BMG.

Learn more about Bluegrass Heart and see a full list of tour dates in support of the project here.

Watch the video for “Charm School” below: