Aside from his reputation as a banjo master, Béla Fleck is known for his collaborations with artists across the musical spectrum. From the National Symphony Orchestra to tabla player Zakir Hussain, Fleck is always looking to expand his artistic palette. One of Fleck’s most celebrated collaborations came in 2007 when Fleck teamed up with famed jazz pianist Chick Corea for The Enchantment. The collaborative effort earned them both a Latin Grammy, and in 2015 they reconvened for the live album, Two. Now, Fleck has confirmed that he recorded yet another album with Corea before his passing in June.

In a recent appearance on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, Fleck recalled the huge impact Corea’s music had on his own. While the banjo player certainly took plenty of inspiration from progressive bluegrass musicians like Earl Scruggs and John Hartford, he also recalls getting his “mind blown” by Chick Corea at the Beacon Theatre as a profound experience in his musical development.

Related: Herbie Hancock Reflects On His Symbiotic Creative Relationship With Chick Corea [Videos]

“When I heard somebody play with this forward lean, this Latin energy, I was like, ‘Oh, I could relate to that. I could see somehow that working on the banjo,” Fleck said. “And it just clicked for me, and it had the same impact on me as hearing Earl Scruggs of like ‘I don’t know what that is but I want to know.'”

On his debut solo album, 1979’s Crossing the Tracks, Fleck paid homage to Corea’s influence with a cover of “Spain”. During his appearance on WTF, Fleck also mourned his friend, inspiration, and collaborator who died last year at the age of 79. “It was a real loss. A true mentor and a genius cat to be around.”

Related: Béla Fleck Performs “Whitewater” With Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, & Jerry Douglas At Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival [Watch]

He also discussed a wide range of other topics with comedian and host Marc Maron, from his early days growing up in Queens, NY to his stint in New Grass Revival and his solo career and with the Flecktones. The conversation stuck predominantly to Fleck’s backstory, with the famously probing interviewer delving into the musician’s childhood.

One of the anecdotes Fleck imparted to Maron was about father, whom he did not meet until adulthood. When Béla did finally meet his dad in his 40s, he explained, he was surprised to discover his own albums among the man’s record collection.

Throughout the conversation, Fleck remained a fierce advocate of the banjo as a versatile and globally historical instrument and resisted any attempts to pigeonhole it to one type of music.

Listen to the Béla Fleck interview on WTF with Marc Maron below and stay tuned for information on another album with Chick Corea. The Fleck segment starts at 28:21.

WTF with Marc Maron – Béla Fleck/Michael Morris