Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart (2008)

Throw Down Your Heart presents a soulful encounter between the music of the American banjo and Africa, where it is believed the banjo originated. The bright tangy (and sometimes twangy) tones of the banjo are delightfully represented by banjo virtuoso and ad hoc musical ambassador Bela Fleck. You could not imagine a whiter guy than Bela as he wends his way across the continent befriending, jamming, and recording with tribal and village musicians in Uganda and Tanzania on Africa's east coast as well as international music icons in Gambia and Mali on Africa's west coast. We witness a village's construction of a hippo-sized wooden marimba that resonates so loudly it sounds (in Bela's words) like a rock band. We see the construction of native stringed instruments and learn what is known of the birth of the banjo. The title of this documentary comes from an oral history about the slave trade that reportedly led to the invention of the banjo; its dulcet tones with other remnants of Africa's musical heritage helped the slaves survive their harsh ocean transport and servitude in the New World. As one musician observes, Bela is not a talkative guy but he plays music that reaches the heart. So do the evocative souls he meets and befriends through music. Music is an international language and this production is proof of it, heart and soul. I saw this movie with an adult and a preteen on the first evening of a three-day run at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and we greatly enjoyed it. See the DVD when it arrives and listen to the CD too. 4 stars.