Is it a stretch to conceive of these artists as collaborators? Not really, and the results reflect their unique and collective talents perfectly, just as the title suggests—Across the Imaginary Divide (Rounder Records). Bela Fleck of course is the legendary banjoist, leader of The Flecktones, and known for other not-so-obvious collaborations such as his 2007 project with Chick Corea (The Enchantment). Marcus Roberts makes “mainstream” jazz an ultimate compliment, one of the finest purveyors of modern swing and interpreters of standard repertoire from Gershwin to Ellington. Their collaboration began at the Savannah Music Festival a couple years ago, when Fleck stayed late to listen to Roberts’ jam session, adding his unique voice to the trio, featuring Rodney Jordan on bass and Jason Marsalis on drums.

The music here, all composed by either Fleck or Roberts, has as wash of bouncy bluegrass twang (“Some Roads Lead Home,” “Petunia”), nods to the blues (“One Blue Truth”), hints of gypsy swagger (note Jordan’s dancing arco work) melded to a cartoonish soundtrack (“Let’s Go”), touches of Crescent City roots music (the title track and “I’m Going to Tell You This Story One More Time”), even Latin sway in ragtime (“That Ragtime Feeling”).  Yet, the rhythms and harmonies belong to  swing and bebop, perhaps most notably on “The Sunshine and the Moonlight,” which showcases Jordan’s walking chops, and “That Old Thing,” which seems to come right out of the Great American Songbook… with banjo. Hey, there’s an idea for their next project!

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