Béla Fleck to premiere African banjo doc at SXSW

Béla Fleck, 30-year banjo-wielder extraordinaire and head of bluegrass crossover group Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, has made a documentary chronicling his recent trip to Africa. Throw Down Your Heart follows Fleck to Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia and Mali, working with many local musicians and attempting to trace the origins of his beloved musical instrument. The musicians he meets vary in skill and situation, from superstars like the Malian diva Oumou Sangare, to families that make and play their own versions of the banjo, to one who has mastered a twelve-foot xylophone. Fleck recorded an album featuring many of these guest musicians.

The film, produced by Fleck and director Sascha Paladino, will premiere Sunday, March 9 at SXSW at the Alamo Ritz. The trailer, meanwhile, is located here.

The film isn't Paladino's first work with Fleck. In 2004, he made the documentary short, Obstinato: Making Music for Two, about Fleck and Edgar Meyer, which won several awards. He's made several other documentary shorts, and also works in children's television.

Fleck's most recent studio album was 2007's The Enchantment with Chick Corea. No word yet on the date of the Africa trip album release.

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