A full set of music by Béla Fleck and Toumani Diabaté, followed by a screening of the documentary tracing Fleck’s journey through Africa in search of the origins of the banjo.
Fleck (pictured) is considered one of the premier banjo players in the world. Throw Down Your Heart, the third volume in Béla’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 explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves.
Malian musician Toumani Diabaté is an internationally acclaimed Kora (a harp unique to West Africa with twenty-one strings) player. Toumani, perhaps more than any other Kora player, is responsible for bringing this instrument to audiences around the world. A performer of exceptional virtuosity and creativity, Toumani is an artist who shows that the kora can rival the world’s greatest instruments.
New York City, NY; NYC