Scroll down for pictures and notes from "Throw Down Your Heart - Africa Sessions Part 2"
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Purchase "Throw Down Your Heart - The Africa Sessions Part 2" Here! |
When I released "Throw Down Your Heart," I knew it was only part of the story. I knew I had the responsibility to get the rest of this music out there - finally I have been able to pull it off. This project has been such a homespun production, especially with funding the trip myself and making the film and recording with my brother, Sascha as director and partner. That's why it feels right to me that we are only making the CD available at my shows and on my site, www.BelaFleck.com - (see the tour dates - we are touring right now!) There is no record company in between me and you guys. For those who purchased the CD at shows, this is your digital book and liner notes. For those of you who haven't got the music, here is a way for you to get a sense of whether it is something you'd be interested in (there are 4 tracks that stream in their entirety as well). In the notes I've included the musicians who performed on every song, as well as a photo gallery for each piece. Make sure you scroll all the way down for some surprise photo galleries as well. Click on a photo to enlarge it and get the full experience. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do - it is certainly a labor of love for me! All the best, Béla |
1. Spirit Song/Kyebukube - Uganda Performed With: The rattle of these thumb pianos became music to my ears. There is so much joy in this song, Haruna is a wonderful spirit and that's part of why I listed this as "Spirit Song" for the recording. Haruna responded in time for these liner notes, but not in time for the deadline for the CD listing. |
2. Salam Aleikum - Mali Performed With: Desert music from Niafunke, this band rocks! Afel is a close relative of Ali Farke Toure and you can hear it! |
3. Chant - Tanzania Performed With: This is one of those tracks that seemed to have happened to us like a force of nature. Before we knew it, it was over and we knew something special had occurred. |
4. The Rights of Man/Ya Fama - Mali Performed With: This trio is so tight and funky I had fallen headlong into this deep groove, when I remembered an old fiddle tune that seemed meant to go with it. I learned "The RIghts of Man" back in Boston in the 1970's and I've always loved it. |
5. Kamungoro - Uganda Performed With: Late in the night before we left Uganda, Albert came to our hotel and we set up some microphones and recorded this piece. The bowed lyre and melodic singing made it well worth staying up so late to do it |
6. Sumu - Mali Performed With: This piece sounds quite middle-eastern to my uneducated ear, but it is Malian traditional music. Bassekou felt like a musical long-lost brother when we played together. |
7. Obughangwa - Uganda Performed With: One can never get enough of the amazing giant Xylophone and the town full of singers and players who gather around it. I never knew what beat I was on, but I didn't care. |
8. Soumauro - Mali Performed With: This is a piece that Djelimady is famous for. He sowed me some of his super-fast ornamented lines and I managed to devise banjo fingerings for them. It was a great challenge. |
9. Furaha - Tanzania Performed With: This song is all about happiness. There is a pure joy and playfulness in Anania and his music makes people very happy - including me... |
10. Mar Rano - Madagascar Performed With: We recorded this piece in Nashville before the trip started. I invited Future Man to join us for it. He was sitting on a wooden box and playing with brushes and fingers and possibly a foot or two. This is one of my favorite instrumentals from D'Gary. Mario's (Xavier) performance of the Madagascar rhythms on his tin can full of nails is just amazing. |
11. Jesus of Banjul - The Gambia Performed With: An enigmatic figure, this akonting player/singer was really fun to play with. We recorded this in an empty club in Banjul called Black Forest Bakau. It's a long story! |
12. Mali Jam - Mali Performed With: This was an all-star session with a group of the hottest instrumentalists in Bamako. The simple groove made a great vehicle for improvisation. Boys will be boys! |
13. Kayi ni Wura - Mali Performed With: When I first heard this song, I felt like I wanted to climb onto the CD and join the band. I could hear myself in this music and it propelled me into taking the trip to Africa. I had always wanted to go, but hearing this changed everything. Now, I am in there... |
14. Old Joe Jatta - The Gambia Performed With: This is an arrangement I brought with me to Africa. One night in The Gambia, after the formal recording was completed, I asked the Jatta's to lay down a groove for me to jam over. It was based on "Old Joe Clark," with some rhythmic and harmonic twists. |
Béla in Africa |
The Children of Africa |