Ottawa Jazz festival presents

Béla Fleck & his Africa Project: Collaborations with Amazing African Musicians

Monday, March 1

8:00 PM

Tickets
General Admission: $50
Reserved Section: $57.50

Check here for ticket purchase information.

For more concert info, visit the Ottawa Jazz Festival Site.

Often considered the premier banjo player in the world, Béla Fleck picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. In 1982, Fleck joined the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, making a name for himself over the years as a virtuoso instrumentalist on countless solo and ensemble projects. In 1989 he formed the genre-defying Flecktones, with musicians equally talented and adventurous as himself.

Most recently, Fleck released Throw Down Your Heart, the third volume in his renowned Tales From the Acoustic Planet series, and his most ambitious project to date. In on-location collaborations with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Fleck explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves. Throw Down Your Heart is a companion to the award-winning film of the same name, a collaboration between Fleck and director Sascha Paladino. Transcending barriers of language and culture, Fleck finds common ground with musicians ranging from local villagers to international superstars – and in the process creates some of the most meaningful music of his career.

Ottawa audiences will remember Fleck from his two previous sold-out appearances at the Ottawa Jazz Festival.