Ironcladd's Full Review: Throw Down Your Heart, Tales from the Acoustic Pla...
Fusion Roots: Bela Fleck Goes to Africa.
By
James Zaworski
The banjo is not just a country, folk or bluegrass instrument any more. Bela Fleck has proved time and time again that the banjo can be played in the context of jazz, the blues, classical music, jazz-rock fusion, pop music, R&B, hip hop/rap, Chinese music, Indian music, even Christmas music; and now, African music. Taking the banjo to Africa may seem a little strange, but it is completely natural to do so, as the banjo is originally an African musical instrument. The banjo came to the Americas as a result of the slave trade, and has taken its place in the great fusion, that is, western music and African music, from which came the blues, ragtime and jazz, the foundation of modern popular music.
African music is full of polyrhythms, and has become a rich source from which many western musicians have drawn upon in recent years, among them Paul Simon, Jean luc Ponty, Stewart Copland, and more. Bela Fleck joins them in his “Tales from Acoustic Planet 3: Throw Down Your Heart”. Traditional African music in general has deeper meaning beyond just recreational music: it has ceremonial, ritual, and social functions that go deep within the well of culture. This CD serves to both introduce us to this complexity, as well as to entertain and delight. Bela brings us a wide variety of African musical traditions from as far afield as Mali to Madagascar, Uganda to South Africa, Tanzania to Senegal, and Gambia to Cameroon.
The following is a track list followed by my review of what I consider to be the highlights of this CD.
1. Tulinesangala 2. Kinetsa (Madagascar) 3. Ah Ndiya (Mali) 4. Kabbi (Tanzania) 5. Angelina (Uganda) 6. D'Gary Jam Africa,Tanzania,Cameroon) 7. Throw Down Your Heart 8. Thula Mama 9. Wairenziante 10. Buribalal (Mali) 11. Zawose (Tanzania) 12. Ajula/Mbamba (The Gambia) 13. Pakugyenda Balebauo (Tanzania) 14. Jesus Is The Only Answer (Uganda) 15. Matitu (Tanzania) 16. Mariam (Mali) 17. Djorolen (Mali) 18. Dunia Haina Wema/Thumb Fun (Tanzania)
Tulinesangala.
Africa is, of course, a huge continent made up of more than 70 countries. Tulinesangala draws from the musical traditions of Uganda, and has characteristic “call and response” traditional African device sung by the Nakisenyi Women's Group, with Bela Fleck accompanying on the banjo. This is a surprising and refreshing introduction to the CD. One female vocalist leads the “call”, a group of female vocalists “respond” to the rhythmic hand clapping, and Bela adds counterpoint on his banjo. It’s brilliant, and Bela brings into his counterpoint improvisational elements and syncopation. This is a wonderful mood setter for the rest of the CD, and is among my picks for highlights for this CD. I love in the end how the ladies laugh.
Kinetsa (Madagascar)
Madagascar is one of the largest islands in the world, and is part of the African continent. Madagascar has unique flora and fauna, and also, a unique and lively tradition of music as well. Kinetsa features more instrumentation than the previous track, and a male solo singer. In addition to Bela’s banjo, there is a fantastic African stringed instrument, which jams throughout the track. There is a violin and percussion as well, providing a wonderful and lively tune which you could certainly dance a jig to. At the end, the vocalist, who plays the stringed instrument, sighs in exhausted delight. Kinetsa is another of my favorites on this CD.
Ah Ndiya (Mali)
Fully the most emotional and emotive vocal based track on this CD is Ah Ndiya. Again, the “call and response” device is used, with female vocalists from Mali singing. This one features the kora, which introduces the song, as well as a percussive shaker, violin, and bass guitar playing of Victor Wooten, as well as Bela’s banjo. Ah Ndiya fully expresses to me the difficult life of a woman in Mali, and is at once pleading and crying out the blues of day to day life, while celebrating what it is like to be alive: the pain and pleasure, the belonging and alienation of what it is to be human. I just checked on my iTunes player, and I have played this track the most from this CD, with 18 play counts, 19 as I write this. It’s another of my favorites on this CD, simply outstanding.
D'Gary Jam
D’Gary Jam is just that, it is a hodge podge jam session of many different African traditions, with female and male vocalists and instrumentation from all over the place, including a nice backing of electric bass guitar ala Victor Wooten, with Bela’s banjo keeping time all along. It’s a highlight, but not as poignant nor as distinctive as the other tracks.
Throw Down Your Heart (Mali)
Finally, a fully instrumental track, which is my favorite on this CD. It is also the title track, and features Bela Fleck on banjo. It is a slow paced track, but shows perhaps best how the banjo fits in with traditional African music, and how it can compliment the kora. Kora master Toumani Diabate plays on this track that Bela Fleck wrote.
Dunia Haina Wema/Thumb Fun (Tanzania)
Dunia Haina Wema is my choice to round out the highlights from this CD. As the name indicates “Thumb Fun” is almost a competition of imitation and the ability to express and elaborate in a fully improvisationsal way between Bela’s banjo and the traditional African instruments, as well as “African scat” vocals, which I have never heard before. He performs admirably, and the instruments and musicians compliment one another fully. Bela really shines in this one.
All in all, “Throw Down Your Heart” is an incredible collection of traditional African music with over one hundred different musicians playing on eighteen tracks. If you are a fan of Bela Fleck, of “world music”, and African music, you will love this CD. It serves as a musical example of what is possible when people from different places cooperate, and shows that despite all superficial differences, that we are all the same. We are bound together through the common thread of human expression, that is, music.
Throw Down Your Heart chronicles banjo virtuoso and 9 time Grammy award winner Bela Fleck s musical journey to Africa to explore the little known Afri...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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