“On my ride to you/ Where am I gonna go when you’re gone?” The opening lyrics to “Ride to U” from Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn’s eponymous album (Rounder Records, 2014) speak to the deep love between a couple and the grief at the prospect of losing one’s lover. Fleck’s and Washburn’s banjos work together to create one sound that encapsulates a relationship between two lovers. The intricate weaving of their picking demonstrates how marriage knits two people together, intertwining them in a manner that death cannot undo.

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn are convincing not only because they are married to each other but also because they have married their distinctive musical sounds and playing styles. Béla Fleck is considered one of the world’s best living banjo players. Inspired by Earl Scruggs, Fleck’s impeccable technique in the three-finger style of banjo playing brought the banjo out of bluegrass obscurity and displays its virtuosic possibilities and colors. He has won fifteen Grammy awards and has been nominated in more categories—including country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, spoken word, composition, and arranging—than any other musician in Grammy history. Fleck’s adept playing in a variety of styles demonstrates that the banjo is good for more than accompanying square dances.

Washburn discovered the banjo in college after listening to a Doc Watson album. She was drawn to the sound of the banjo and learned to play in the older clawhammer or frailing style that reaches back to the banjo’s roots in West Africa. Washburn always has been fascinated by Chinese language and culture and originally planned on becoming an international lawyer based in China. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Washburn explains that she abandoned her initial plan in favor of being a musician, because she was looking for a better way to connect with people (October 12, 2012). She always felt a barrier between her and her Chinese friends when discussing law and language, but that barrier dropped when playing music.

Fleck and Washburn met at a square dance (although Fleck will point out that it was one of the only square dances he’s played at in decades) and started playing as a duo soon after. After their son, Juno, was born, they made the decision to tour and record together as a way to remain close as a family. How close they really are is reflected in the merging of their distinctive playing styles. Fleck’s three-finger style of playing is achieved through the use of finger and thumb picks, and gives the banjo a loud and bright sound. Washburn’s clawhammer technique emphasizes a downward strum that gives the banjo a softer, rounder sound. One would not expect their divergent musical and playing styles to blend, but that is the magic of this album. Fleck’s virtuosity and Washburn’s passionate lyrics combine to re-imagine traditional songs and to create new ones.

The most satisfying moments on the album come in the three instrumental tracks when the combined effect of their playing styles is most impressive. “New South Africa” is a reworking of an earlier Fleck piece. To the untrained ear, it is impossible to tell who is playing the solo and who is accompanying. The seamless transition speaks to Fleck and Washburn’s ability to communicate intimately as a couple. It is even more impressive to watch them play the song. (eTown has several webisodes available on YouTube that feature interviews and performances by Fleck and Washburn.) Their effortless playing is highlighted by their silent communication through facial expressions and playful affections. It is a joy to watch them make music together. The buoyancy of “New South Africa” reflects not only the hope of a country being reborn but also the joy of making music together.

“Banjo Banjo” is no “Dueling Banjos.” Instead, it is a conversation between two people and two instruments. The song features several themes that are echoed between Fleck and Washburn. Each new section is introduced by an arpeggiated figure that they trade every four notes as the figure moves through several octaves. The echoing and trading of motives demonstrates the sharing of ideas between two people. In a nod to Fleck’s namesake, they also arrange two pieces by Béla Bartok. “For Children, Nos. 3 and 10” displays the rippling sound created by the combination of their picking styles. It is fascinating to hear Bartok played on the banjo; it is also a testament to their ability to re-imagine the possibilities of the banjo and, perhaps, even a marriage.

The communication between the two banjos continues as Fleck and Washburn retell old stories on this album. “Railroad” is a bluesy reworking of “I’ll Be Working on the Railroad.” Fleck told Washburn they should record it after hearing her sing a minor version of the song to their son. They created an adult version of the song that speaks to the hard work and injustice railroad workers experienced. The constant sixteenth-note picking mimics the endless work of the laborer, with the blues notes and yodeling acknowledging the influences of African-American and Appalachian music on the song.

“Pretty Polly” is a murder ballad in which the bride, Polly, is taken to the forest and killed by her fiancé, Willie. Its inclusion, along with other traditional songs, pays homage to the Appalachian banjo legacy. Washburn’s ethereal voice emerges from the banjo playing like a ghost of the murdered bride. Rather than rushing through the song, as bluegrass versions such as Ralph Stanley’s do, Washburn takes her time to contemplate why Willie wants to kill Polly. The pared-down banjo accompaniment supports the narrative rather than outshining it. Before finishing the last three lines of the song, Washburn inserts several cries of “Oh Pretty Polly” which rise to an octave and respond to a brief banjo solo, a foreshadowing of “Shotgun Blues.”

“Shotgun Blues” is one of the original songs on the album that Fleck and Washburn wrote to tell new stories. In the liner notes, Washburn explains that she wanted to seek retribution for the women who have been killed in traditional murder ballads. It begins with Fleck and Washburn exchanging thumps on the head of the banjo, imitating a shotgun firing. Washburn picks a unison line during her vocal solo that is as straightforward as her lyrics. Fleck’s solos during the instrumental breaks are as skittish and fast as might be a man who wants to escape a woman’s wrath. The pairing of these murder ballads speaks to Fleck and Washburn’s ability to acknowledge the role that old-time banjo music has played in their musical development and to demonstrate modern interpretations of the instrument.

The final song on the album is a perfect package of their musical life together. “Bye Bye Baby Blues” takes its name from the chorus originally written by George “Little Hat” Jones. Like the traditional wedding saying, Fleck and Washburn take something old and marry it to something new—original lyrics on the verses—and they borrow the chorus, which happens to be blue(s). Washburn plays a cello banjo in the style of walking blues to accompany Fleck’s solo that finishes out the song. Like much of the music both artists are known for, the song moves through several musical styles, from Randy Newman story-telling to the blues to pop-inflected jazz. It ends with a joyful punctuation of a few baby babbles from their son, Juno. The inclusion of Juno’s babbling is a beautiful way to honor the reason for the album’s creation, to make music together.

This album is about more than just great banjo music. The virtuosic playing and the fusion of old and new styles make for a musically satisfying listening experience. But the ease with which the couple plays together comes not just from stage experience but from the familiarity created by a long relationship. Some people like to classify Fleck and Washburn’s music as “roots” music, because it draws from a variety of old musical traditions. This is appropriate not just for the musical genre but also because making music as a family has always been a common pastime. Families made music together when a parent sang lullabies to a sleeping child, when a family sang work songs in a field, or when a family joined together in a festival or celebration. Fleck and Washburn continue that tradition in this album and demonstrate how beautiful music is when it is made by those who love one another.

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn depart from the stereotypical “dueling banjos” routine to educate audiences about the unique possibilities of the banjo. The music inspires listeners to find new ways of communicating age-old ideas. This is good and worthwhile but, in the end, it is the joy and beauty of a family making music that is the success story of this album.

Jennifer Forness is choir director at Fisher Middle School and Ewing High School in Ewing, New Jersey. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her husband and daughter.