Béla Fleck: The Africa Project
Béla Fleck, banjo
featuring
Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba (Mali)
John Kitime, guitar (Tanzania)
Anania Ngoliga, multi-instrumentalist (Tanzania)
Collaborating with other amazing African Musicians
Wednesday, February 17, 8 pm
Hill Auditorium
| Main Floor | $50 · $46 · $42 · $28 |
| Mezzanine | $44 · $36 · $10 |
| Balcony | $36 · $28 |
In his most ambitious project to date, renowned musician Béla Fleck explores the origins of the banjo. During his travels to Africa, Fleck discovered that while the banjo is often considered an American instrument that conjures feelings of the South, its origins lie far from her shores. Throw Down Your Heart, the award-winning film, documents Fleck’s travels and explorations of music in Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Mali. With The Africa Project, Fleck brings to the stage his collaborations with some of Africa’s most talented musicians who were also featured in the film. Bassekou Kouyate is one of the true masters of the ngoni, the ancient forerunner of the banjo found throughout West Africa. His stellar band performs music that is as close to the blues as one finds in Africa. Anania Ngoliga is a blind instrumentalist and singer who plays the Wagogo thumb piano, a deep-toned instrument called the ilimba. Wagogo music has a distinctively mysterious scale, and Afropop Worldwide called Ngoliga’s performance “the spiritual high point of the program.” Guitarist John Kitime has led the acclaimed Kilimanjaro band for over 30 years and has a deep knowledge of the history of Tanzanian music. This boundary-breaking musical adventure celebrates the beauty and complexity of Africa.
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Co-Sponsored by Dennis and Ellie Serras. |