Bela Fleck and Guest Musicians Bring 'The Africa Project' to Bowdoin March 2

Story posted February 16, 2010

Note: This concert is sold out. A limited number of tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Pickard Theater box office before the concert, beginning at 6:30 p.m. March 2.

Considered by many to be the premier banjo player in the world, Béla Fleck has reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations.

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Most recently, Fleck has collaborated with some of Africa's most talented musicians to explore the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to America by African slaves. Throw Down Your Heart, the award-winning film and album, documents Fleck's travels and explorations of music in Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia and Mali.

Fleck and guest musicians from Africa will perform highlights from these projects at Bowdoin College at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, 2010, in Pickard Theater, Memorial Hall. Fleck will be joined on stage by Bassekouye Kouyate and Ngoni Ba from Mali, and Anania Ngoliga and John Kitime from Tanzania.

The concert is open to the public but seating is limited. Tickets are free to Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff (ID required; limit 2 tickets per ID); $10 for members of the Association of Bowdoin Friends (ID required; limit 2 tickets; available at the McLellan Building); and $25 for the general public.

Advance tickets have sold out. A limited number of tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Pickard Theater box office the night of the show beginning at 6:30 p.m.

A New York City native, Béla Fleck picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. While still in high school he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, mentored by Tony Trischka. In 1980, he released his first solo album, Crossing the Tracks, with material that ranged from straight-ahead bluegrass to Chick Corea's "Spain."

In 1982, Fleck joined the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, making a name for himself on countless solo and ensemble projects ever since as a virtuoso instrumentalist. In 1989 he formed the genre-busting Flecktones, with members equally talented and adventurous as himself.

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Béla Fleck jamming with the Haruna Group in Africa.

Throw Down Your Heart, the third volume in Fleck's renowned Tales From the Acoustic Planet series, is his most ambitious project to date. In on-location collaborations with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Béla Fleck explores the African origins of the banjo. Throw Down Your Heart is a companion to the award-winning film of the same name, which Béla and director Sascha Paladino are currently premiering at festivals nationwide. Transcending barriers of language and culture, Fleck finds common ground with musicians ranging from local villagers to international superstars such as the Malian diva Oumou Sangare to create some of the most meaningful music of his career.

Still releasing albums and touring, the Flecktones have garnered a strong and faithful following among jazz and new acoustic fans. They have shared the stage with Dave Mathews Band, Sting, Bonnie Raitt and the Grateful Dead, among many others, made several appearances on The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, and appeared on Arsenio Hall, Conan O'Brian, David Letterman, and Saturday Night Live.

In 2006 the band released The Hidden Land, which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2007.

Jingle All The Way, the band's holiday album, was released in 2008, and in 2009 it was voted best Pop Instrumental Album at the Grammys.

Any world-class musician born with the names Béla (for Bartok), Anton (for Dvorak) and Leos (for Janacek) would seem destined to play classical music. Already a powerfully creative force in bluegrass, jazz, pop, rock and world beat, Béla at last made the classical connection with Perpetual Motion, his critically acclaimed 2001 Sony Classical recording that went on to win a pair of Grammys, including Best Classical Crossover Album.

Béla Fleck's total Grammy count is 11 Grammys won, and 27 nominations. He has been nominated in more different categories than anyone else in Grammy history.

Béla Fleck's Bowdoin appearance is sponsored by the Donald M. Zuckert Visiting Professorship Fund.

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