[ Wayne Marshall & Prodigal Son's "Give Life" playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ My name is Jacob Edgar.

I'm an explorer, but I don't search for lost cities or ancient ruins.

I'm on the quest for a different kind of treasure -- music.

[ Sarazino's "Cochabamba" playing ] ♪ Je Retrouveràis Cochabamba ♪ ♪ Je verrais les femmes et les enfants Du Che qui mendient ♪ Edgar: As an ethnomusicologist and world-music record producer, I travel the globe hunting for the best songs the world has to offer, and I suffer through some of the worst so you don't have to.

♪ Amigo, reste pres de moi ♪ ♪ Cette nuit on va danser tout pres de la muerte ♪ Edgar: I've got a backstage pass to the world's music, and I won't stop until I've heard it all.

[ Sarazino speaking indistinctly ] ♪♪ ♪♪ During my career as an international music producer and researcher, I've traveled to some pretty exotic places with strange customs and bizarre traditions.

But few places are more colorful than where I am now -- Los Angeles, California.

♪♪ When I was in the ethnomusicology program at UCLA, I used to joke that I felt like a foreign exchange student in this wacky city, but I grew to love L.A.'s vibe and its diversity.

This truly is an international city, with people here from all over the globe, and it's a great music town.

They have some of the country's best nightclubs, excellent radio stations, a great Latin music scene, and revered outdoor venues like the Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theater, Santa Monica Pier, and others.

With immigrant communities peppered all over the city, I love traveling to far-flung neighborhoods in search of spicy foods and exotic sounds.

♪♪ I've come to La La Land for "Music Voyager" to focus on one of the music world's best known institutions, the Grammy Awards, which are considered by many in the industry to be the pinnacle of achievement.

Every year, the stars come out to celebrate the past year's biggest commercial and critical successes.

It's a paparazzi's dream.

Some of the top names in music walk the red carpet adorned in the latest fashions and pat each other's backs in the industry's most extravagant self-love fest.

Darling, you look marvelous.

♪♪ To me, the Grammys have always existed on another plane of reality.

Since I tend to focus on who the hottest artists are in other parts of the world, I'm pretty clueless about who's making waves on the US pop charts.

But things have definitely opened up in Grammy land over the years with the addition of new categories for world music, Latin, Cajun, zydeco, and an increased sense that the award is more inclusive of younger, hipper names and not just aging pop stars.

♪♪ For the next few episodes of "Music Voyager," I decided to dig into the list of 2010 Grammy nominees and travel the US to meet some of the fascinating artists who have been chosen as among the best in their genres.

During the two months between the announcement of the nominees and the awards ceremony.

I journeyed to Denver, Colorado, to meet with one of the world's top banjo players, the bayous of Louisiana, the heart of Cajun country, Washington, D.C., for a multicultural collaboration between big names from the US, Israel, and Africa.

And finally, I've ended up in Los Angeles to hobnob with the stars.

It's been a wonderful journey filled with memorable adventures, terrific food, and lots of incredible music.

♪♪ For my first stop on the road to a Grammy, I meet up with Béla Fleck, a virtuoso banjo player who holds the distinction of having been nominated in more Grammy categories than any other artist.

This year, Béla is nominated in three categories, including two nominations for his wonderful album, "Throw Down Your Heart," which was recorded as Béla traveled with his banjo across Africa.

The film of the same name documents Béla's amazing musical journey.

[ African folk music playing ] ♪♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ [ Singing in native language ] ♪♪ [ All singing in native language ] Edgar: Ever since he first heard the banjo as a 7-year-old boy while watching "The Beverly Hillbillies" at his grandmother's house, Béla Fleck has been passionate about an instrument that most people associate with backwoods country music and maybe the dueling banjos scene in the film "Deliverance."

Contrary to its rustic image, the banjo has an illustrious history.

While its use in popular music has declined over the years, Béla Fleck has transformed the banjo into a respected tool for some of the most cutting-edge and technically advanced music being performed on any stage.

♪♪ And to think we owe it all to "The Beverly Hillbillies."

It's probably the only positive cultural impact that show's ever had, except maybe popularizing the term cement pond, which I use all the time.

So I'm off to Denver, where Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are currently on tour.

♪♪ ♪♪ I've traveled to the four corners of the globe in search of great music, and you can ask me anything you want about Brazilian bossa nova, South African mbaqanga, you name it.

But the one area of music that I don't know that much about is, ironically, American music.

I'm really excited with this Road to the Grammy special, because it gives me an opportunity to discover the music of my own country.

And what better place to start than the center of the United States, Denver, Colorado?

You can tell Denver is an entertainment town.

They've got built-in smoke machines all over the city.

♪♪ It turns out I've come to the right place to start my Road to a Grammy adventure, as the actual award itself is made by hand right here in Colorado, in the small town of Ridgway, west of Denver.

I meet the man who lovingly crafts the recognizable, gramophone-shaped statuettes in a small workshop in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.

♪♪ ♪♪ My name is John Billings.

Around town, they call me the Grammy Man.

♪♪ I was the apprentice back in Van Nuys, California, to the man that made the original Grammys.

His wish before he died, that I would continue making them.

♪♪ Each Grammy has about 15 hours.

And right now, we are projecting that this year's Grammy Awards will probably award about 450 to 475 Grammys.

♪♪ One of the funny stories was Hillary Clinton won a Grammy, I think it was back in 1990 for -- she recorded "It Takes a Village."

She was actually there for the pre-telecast and went backstage.

And a man came up and said, "Ma'am, I have to have the Grammy back."

And she says, "No, I'm going to a party, and I want to take it with me."

And he said, "Ma'am, I'm sorry.

I got to have it back."

And pretty soon, she was surrounded by the Secret Service.

And the guy says, "The lady's taking it with her."

So she ripped off a Grammy.

That's just between us.

Man: Yeah.

♪♪ I think it's just when I see somebody, whether I have heard of them or not, and they get up, and they're so overwhelmed, and they -- To see the joy in anyone's face when they're handed a Grammy, you can't imagine the pride.

There it is.

Now we've just got to pack it, put a name on it.

♪♪ Edgar: After seeing where the Grammy Award is born, I head back to Denver to meet up with Béla Fleck at Swallow Hill, a cultural center and school for folk roots and acoustic music.

Béla has been invited to give a workshop on the banjo, and the room is filled with pickers and grinners of all ages.

I've never seen so many banjos in one place.

It's banjo heaven -- or hell, depending on your perspective.

♪♪ I'm just taking one position and moving it around, screwing around with it and seeing what comes out.

♪♪ You're on tour.

You're staying very, very busy.

I mean, what's the day in the life like when you're on the road?

It's a long day.

Yeah.

So, we left Jackson Hole last night around midnight or 1:00, so I slept on the bus, which is fine.

I'm used to that.

Woke up around 11:00, got in the shower, met you guys, came over here, did that.

Then we're done.

I'm going to race over back and do sound check.

Then I get a little -- a couple of hours to to have dinner and get my energy together.

Then we do the concert.

It's two sets.

Usually each set is an hour-plus.

These have been running a little long, so sometimes there are two 70-minute sets, encores, so, you know, 2 1/2 hours of playing onstage.

And then after the show, we go out front and talk to the audience for, you know, a good hour often, signing autographs, talking to people for a long time.

Finally get back on the bus.

And often, we're on our way to the next town.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] ♪♪ Edgar: Béla is performing that night with his band the Flecktones at Denver's Paramount Theater.

So I stop in to catch a bit of their sound check.

♪♪ The Flecktones include Victor Wooten, one of the world's best bass players.

Victor's brother, who's a wild character who goes by the name Futureman.

He plays an instrument he invented called the Drumitar, a blend of a keyboard and drum machine that allows him to bust out a wide range of beats with his fingers.

♪♪ The fourth and newest Flecktone is sax player Jeff Coffin, who also tours and records with the Dave Matthews Band.

♪♪ Béla Fleck and the Flecktones just finished their sound check here at the Paramount Theater, which is a classic venue in downtown Denver, right off the 16th Street Mall.

It was built in 1930 as a movie theater, and now it's one of the city's best performance venues.

[ Novalima's "Camote" playing ] ♪♪ As the band gears up for the evening's performance, I decide to step out and explore a bit of Denver.

I did a little research before I got to Denver, and I was amazed to find out how many musicians actually have connections here.

India.Arie, the R&B singer, was born in Denver, and The Fray, one of the most popular rock groups in the country, is based in Denver, as well.

♪ Camote, camote ♪ One really interesting musical destination in Denver is Wedgle's.

It's a pawn shop that's been in business since 1937.

And whenever musicians are touring through town, they always come here to check out the musical instruments, because they have an amazing collection.

So I'm going to pop my head inside and see what they've got.

♪♪ Tell me the story about Wedgle's.

Wedgle's is the oldest pawn shop in Denver.

It was started in 1937, originally as a pawn shop.

Later on, it became a music store, because musicians always need money.

♪♪ I heard this -- a rumor about you kicking out Led Zeppelin.

Yeah, Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page came in and started causing trouble?

Well, he was being not polite and real mouthy, and I thought he had a phony English accent.

It goes to 11.

And he came back and apologized and still bought the guitar he was looking at.

[ Cedric Watson's "Bijou Créole" playing ] ♪ Bijou Créole ♪ So who have you had come in?

Who are some of the musicians?

Oh, we've had George Strait.

We've had Coldplay.

They came to hawk their instruments?

No, Coldplay actually came 'cause our basement was a world famous basement.

It was known throughout the the world.

It's the catacombs of everything.

Into the catacombs we go.

♪♪ The basement is lined wall to wall with musical instrument cases of all shapes and sizes.

A music freak could really get lost in here.

In fact, there may be a few who've never come out.

♪♪ [ Harmonica playing ] ♪ I'm in Denver ♪ ♪ Exploring the music scene ♪ ♪ Gonna meet with Béla Fleck ♪ ♪ You know what I mean ♪ ♪♪ No music lover's visit to Denver would be complete without passing by Twist and Shout, the city's best and biggest record store.

They've got an amazing selection of vinyl, CDs, T-shirts, you name it.

Anyway, I'm going to go do some shopping.

♪♪ What did I see over here?

Kurt Cobain, 18-inch figure, with sound.

How cool is that?

A Johnny Cash action figure.

♪♪ Oh, one of my favorite nominated groups in the world music category this year is a band called Amadou and Mariam.

It's a couple.

They're a blind couple.

They're also from Mali.

Mali is just one of the hotbeds of African music and world music in general.

These guys met at a school for the blind in Mali, fell in love, got married, and have been performing music together.

Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective.

Amazon.com picked this record out of all of the world music records ever released as the greatest world music album of all time.

So if you haven't heard it, you got to check it out.

Alright.

Shall we move on?

This is a big store.

You don't see record stores this size anymore, you know?

Twist and Shout still has it going on.

They still have a great selection of music.

And speaking of great music, here's Béla Fleck's album.

This is "Throw Down Your Heart."

This is the album where he brought the banjo back to Africa.

♪♪ It's time to head back to the Paramount and catch some of Béla's show.

After years of touring and recording, Béla has a large following of true music appreciators, proving that you don't have to be a bland, sexy pop star to have a big audience.

That's right.

You know him.

You love him.

Make him feel welcome.

Mr. Béla Fleck.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Edgar: The crowd is as eclectic as Béla's music.

[ Béla Fleck and D'Gary's "Kinetsa" playing ] ♪♪ The next morning and a few cups of coffee later, I join Béla and the Flecktones on their bus as they head to the next stop on the tour.

It's their home away from home while on the road, complete with Wi-fi, satellite TV, and 12 bunk beds.

♪♪ I was in a music shop in Denver yesterday, and they carry a lot of musical instruments.

They also had some old videos, and I saw something that I thought you would appreciate.

This is the five-DVD set of "The Beverly Hillbillies."

And the reason I got it, you know, you'll know why.

And you told this story yesterday at the Swallow Hill School, and I thought it was really interesting how you first got exposed to the banjo.

"The Beverly Hillbillies" came on, and I heard that sound of the opening, and I was just transfixed.

It was me and my older brother Louis.

And after the theme finished, I was just like in shock.

And I said to my brother, "Did you hear that?

Did you hear that?

That was incredible."

And he said, "What?"

♪♪ Composition.

[ Speaking indistinctly ] Exactly.

[ Speaking indistinctly ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Edgar: Béla treats me to an unplugged performance of the song "Throw Down Your Heart," the title track to his Grammy-nominated album.

♪♪ ♪♪ This year, you were nominated for three more Grammys.

And what did you get this year?

Ooh, Best Contemporary World Music Album for "Throw Down Your Heart," Best Pop Instrumental for "Throw Down Your Heart," the instrumental, and Best Contemporary Classical for this new project, The Melody of Rhythm with Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer.

Wow.

So it's cool because they're real art projects.

None of them are the kind that are easy to get people to find out about.

So it's just neat to get appreciated for something that's so close to my heart, that I put a lot of personal sweat and love into.

♪♪ ♪♪ For Béla Fleck, it's all about the music, and the Grammy recognition is just a bonus.

Béla is passionate about being the best he can be at the banjo and expanding the possibilities of the instrument.

Béla's fans respond to this commitment, and he's built a successful career by appealing to an audience that people who focus on the mainstream often overlook.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Sista Gracy's "Yardy Crew" playing ] ♪♪ I followed Béla across the Rocky Mountains and over the continental divide.

And as I make my way back to Denver, I can't resist stopping at one of the ski resorts for a little nighttime inner tube run.

[ Sista Gracy's "Yardy Crew" continues playing ] Bye!

Nice knowing you.

Goodbye, world!

[ Screams, laughs ] [ Sista Gracy's "Yardy Crew" continues playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ I think I wet myself.

You guys like capturing me suffering, don't you?

That's entertaining to people, watching me suffer.

Man: That's right.

My kids love that.

They love me in pain.

♪♪ There's a few things that every intrepid visitor to Denver should do -- eat Rocky Mountain oysters and learn to two-step.

♪♪ So I head over to the Buckhorn Exchange, the oldest restaurant in Denver -- It's been around since 1893 -- for a little traditional Western fare.

Alright.

I'm about to try my first bite of Rocky Mountain oysters, otherwise known as bull's testicles.

Put a little sauce on there.

Mmm.

It's kind of chewy, I must say.

Interesting texture.

I can see the postcard now.

"Hi, Mom.

Having a ball in Denver."

♪♪ [ Harmonica playing ] ♪♪ I'm at the Grizzly Rose, which is one of the premier locations in Denver for country music.

And I figured while I was in the West, I might as well check out some Western music and dancing.

So I got my shirt on and my cowboy boots, and I'm going to go into the Grizzly Rose and see if I can get somebody to teach me how to do a little line dancing.

[ Jon Beaumont's "Too Many Irons" playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ It's five in the morning, we're up with the sun ♪ ♪ We got to get going, two lives on the run.

♪ ♪ It's biscuits and bacon and coffee with cream ♪ ♪ We're off to our jobs, no time in between ♪ ♪ Where will we ever be able to find ♪ ♪ An hour for us?

We're so far behind ♪ ♪ There's too many irons in the fire ♪ ♪ And not enough hours in the day ♪ ♪ Sometimes not knowing if we're coming or going ♪ ♪ No time for things we desire ♪ ♪ There's too many irons in the fire ♪ ♪♪ Well, somehow I seem to have woken up at Red Rocks Amphitheater with a cowboy hat and a silly T-shirt on.

But I guess there are worse places to wake up.

This is a really magnificent setting.

You know, honestly, when I got the call to come to Denver and meet Béla Fleck, I wasn't sure what to expect.

But I have had a great time.

I got to know Béla and the Flecktones and spent some time with them and see them perform, travel with them on the bus.

And I also had a great time exploring the sights, the sounds, and the tastes of Denver, Colorado.

It's really been an eye-opening experience.

♪♪ Well, some of the greatest names in music have played here at Red Rocks, from the Beatles to Sting, U2, and now Jacob Edgar.

[ Harmonica playing ] ♪ I ended up at Red Rocks ♪ ♪ I don't know how ♪ ♪ Last thing I remember ♪ ♪ I was riding a cow ♪ ♪ In Denver, Colorado ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ A Denver native who's made it big is India.Arie, a soulful singer and songwriter who also happens to be nominated for a few Grammys this year.

I've gotten to know India a little bit, because she's collaborated with two artists on my record label, including sharing a Grammy nomination with one of them this year.

So I decided to follow the road to a Grammy all the way across the country to Washington, D.C.

I've got this crazy idea to bring India.Arie together with an African singer and an Israeli pop star.

It's either going to be musical magic or a sonic disaster of global proportions.

Then I'm off to Lafayette, Louisiana, the epicenter of Cajun and zydeco music and the home of all five nominees in the Cajun and Zydeco category of the Grammys.

From the grand boulevards of the nation's capital to the beat of the bayou, it's going to be quite a trip.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪