Throw Down Your Heart At 8 p.m. at AFI Silver. Also at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 21, at Round House Theatre.
Banjo maverick Béla Fleck goes to Africa so his instrument can “come back and play with its old folks,” as Ugandan musician Walusimbi Nsimbambi Haruna puts it. The bluegrass instrument barnacled its way to America during Middle Passage in some form, but few of Fleck’s collaborators—locals in Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, the Gambia, and Mali—recognize the family resemblance. It’s a situation that would be fertile for an exploration of musical cross-pollination if Fleck exhibited any personality whatsoever. Instead, there are innumerable shots of the gee-whiz look plastered across his face whenever he watches other musicians, the hunkered-down expression he wears while trying to wedge his instrument into already arranged songs, and the particularly lost look he gets when Haruna starts crying after playing a song about how his dad died before he made anything of himself. “You think it’s because the song is about your father?” Fleck asks, tentatively. Fleck’s got a tremendous ear and can jam with anyone, but it’s striking how rarely the proceedings are improved by his generally unobtrusive accompaniments. In Mali, Fleck expresses amazement that his friend, singer Oumou Sangare, has air conditioning—twice. It’s as close as he comes to epiphany. —AB
Jun. 13 - 19, 2008 (Vol. 28, #24)
Comments
11:19 am
Rather harsh take on the film eh? If that is all that was taken from it after viewing, you either don't get it or you're not a music fan. I am pretty sure it's both.
1:17 pm
I saw this film last night -- followed by a live performance by Bela Fleck and one of the featured African musicians -- and agree that the review is unnecessarily harsh and snarky. I especially disagree with the reviewer's comment that Fleck was ever "trying to wedge his instrument into already arranged songs." Instead, and as a banjo player myself, I was amazed at Fleck's ability to seamlessly fit the banjo into melodies, rhythms, scales and meters that one would not usually think this instrument is capable of. And to say that "Fleck’s got a tremendous ear and can jam with anyone" grossly trivializes his unequaled virtuosity and reveals a lack of understanding about Fleck, the banjo or perhaps musicianship in general.
10:58 am
so...............it's not only bankers who get paid to be incompetent.
this is so much unfounded tripe that "AB" should get a real job.This person is
so clearly out of their depth it is embarrassing .Passing off juvenile comment as
musical criticism is hardly journalism. Perhaps too heavy a pre-movie dinner
took it's toll and an already sluggish mind went further into impotency and
mental prolapse
7:48 pm
I'm sorry, but I'll have to agree with the reviewer on this one! While the music was enjoyable, for certain, it was undeniably a colonialist project-- right down to his use of LONELY PLANET to "know" about Africa. I can't excuse that Fleck says and does some crazy imperialist stuff, even if I'm not surprised.
7:51 pm
I agree with the reviewer on this one. This film is undeniably imperialist, right down to Fleck's use of Lonely Planet and his colonialist impressions and objectifications of the people whom he is staying with. "Well, you know, In America, we do it this way..." I'm offended, but I can't say I'm surprised that this kind of thing passes in our society.