Renowned banjoist Béla Fleck showcases “The Africa Project,” live, in concert, at the Community Concert Hall, Feb. 2

 

          DURANGO, Colo. – Durango favorite Béla Fleck returns to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Tuesday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m., with more than just his banjo, showcasing “The Africa Project” live.

          Béla Fleck has garnered a reputation as arguably the world’s premiere banjo player, reinventing the image and the sound of the instrument through a remarkable career that has taken him all over the musical map. Throughout his 30-year career, Fleck has won 11 Grammy awards and has earned more diverse Grammy nominations than any other musician in history, including pop, country, bluegrass, jazz, classical, spoken-word, composition and arranging.

          “The Africa Project” is an off-spring of Fleck’s exploration of the origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to America by African slaves. In on-location collaborations with musicians in Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Fleck found common ground with artists ranging from local villagers to international stars. The Concert Hall show features an ensemble of the African musicians with whom he collaborated and the music they created during his travels.

          “The Africa Project” also spawned Fleck’s 2010 Grammy-nominated “Throw Down Your Heart” music release, as well as the feature documentary of the same name. The film was screened in advance of Fleck’s arrival on Jan. 27 at the Community Concert Hall. “Throw Down Your Heart,” is hailed by the “LA Times” as an “important work of artistic memory and conscience.”

        A new CD of African music, entitled “Throw Down Your Heart: The Africa Sessions Part 2, Unreleased Tracks,” will be released Feb. 2. It features additional collaborations with musicians in the film and the first album, as well as additional artists not originally included due to space restrictions.

Of Fleck’s unique collaboration the “Austin American Statesman” reported, “Together they evoke naked humanity, tears, laughter, passion, and the unalloyed bliss of making music.”

Tickets for Béla Fleck – $40 for Balcony, $44 for Orchestra and $50 for Plaza – are available on line at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657 or 877.282.9992. Or visit the Ticketing Services Office in Downtown Durango at 7^th and Main Ave.

Showtime is 7 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6 p.m.

The Community Concert Hall is located in the growing arts complex of Fort Lewis College.  It operates through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, as well as the city of Durango, and with financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.