Howard Levy has announced that he is unable to perform with Bela Fleck & The Flecktones on their upcoming holiday tour. Singer/songwriter and mandolin player Sierra Hull will fill in for the keyboardist/harmonica master for much of the upcoming run, which will celebrate The Flecktones’ Jingle All the Way album. Former Flecktones saxophonist and current Dave Matthews Band horn player Jeff Coffin and the Russian throat singing combo Alash, both of whom contributed to the 2008 LP, had been previously confirmed to join the celebratory tour and will still augment the ensemble on the road.

A note from the Flecktones reads, “Due to an unforeseen health issue, Howard Levy (@howardlevyland) is unable to perform with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones on our upcoming Jingle All the Way tour. While we are all most disappointed, it is of the utmost importance that we prioritize his health and rest to ensure a full recovery. The Flecktones will still be bringing you an amazing night of music, accompanied by their very special guests @jeffcoffin and @alashensemble – and are thrilled to welcome @sierradawnhull to the lineup from Dec 2-14! We’ll be playing tunes from across our catalog, including reinvented holiday classics from Jingle All the Way, performed for the first time in fifteen years. Come join us!”

The tour was set to be the rare run to feature both Levy, who played with The Flecktones from 1988-1993 and and rejoined in 2010, and Coffin, who was a member of the group from 1998-2010. The musicians have crossed paths a few times recently, however, including the 2019 Bela Fleck: Friends & Family show at Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks, which featured The Flecktones, The Colorado Symphony and many of the banjo’s other past collaborators, and this summer at George, WA’s The Gorge, when The Flecktones opened for DMB and joined them on stage.

The Fleckones will kick off their run at Nashville, TN’s The Ryman this Wednesday.