Throw down your heart (DVD)

Bella Fleck is a well-known American banjo artist who has won nine Grammy awards. More so, he has been nominated in more categories than any other artist in the history of Grammy nominations. Sascha Paladino’s documentary “Throw Down Your Heart” is an adventure trip that Bella and his crew undertake to various countries in Africa to understand the heritage of the African Banjo and its influence on the music community. Moreover, it is Bella’s quest to reach out to musicians at the grassroots level to produce new music.


The first destination on the trip is a remote village, Jinja, in Uganda, a country in the Eastern region of Africa sharing its borders with Kenya and Tanzania. Here Bella meets a local musician and the two of them jam for a few minutes, where the latter uses a unique violin-like instrument. Soon after, he is welcomed by his friend, Haruna Walusimbi, who takes him to a village named Nakisenyi for another jamming session. On reaching the village of Nakisenyi, Bella witnesses a group of people playing a giant instrument locally known as Marimba. Bella is flabbergasted by the sound produced by this instrument. According to him, the sound produced by this instrument is equivalent to the sound level of a rock band.


Marimba is a collection of wooden logs that are placed on a raised hollow platform. The platform itself is half buried to about five or six feet in the ground. To play the instrument, the local band members use short, thick wooden sticks so that rhythmic beats can be produced. This first jamming session is absolutely breathtaking as Bella is trying to keep up with the locals. In the same village, Bella then meets a woman musician, Ruth Akello, who is a local expert in playing the thumb piano-- an instrument with short steel strips mounted on a metal box. She also heads a local band, Ateso Jazz Band. Through his conversation with Ruth, Bella comes to know that social pressure possesses enough challenges for a woman musician.


The next stop is Bagamoyo in Tanzania, where Bella meets a blind musician, Anania Ngoliga. Anania is a skilled musician who is capable of playing multiple instruments such as maringa, guitar, and thumb piano. Here, he plays on a bigger version of a thumb piano. In this village, we also see a big influence from Hukwe Zawose, who is highly regarded as a singer in Tanzania even after his death. From Tanzania, Bella and his crew travel to the western region in Gambia where they meet the Jatta family. We are introduced to another African instrument called Akoting, which is a three-string instrument.


Finally, Bella reaches his last stop, Mali, that is regarded as the crown jewel in the African community in music. On reaching the Mali airport, Bella is greeted by a renowned African singer and old friend, Oumou Sangare. The documentary ends with Sangare singing a heartbreaking song that truly stays with you in the end.


This documentary brought back the memories of my stay in Africa. I lived in Tanzania for three years and traveled to various countries in Africa during the 1980s. I vividly remember the day I was walking back from school to home. On my way, I saw a group of musicians playing banjo while other people around them were dancing to the tune of a local folk song. The music was so pleasant and soulful that I decided to stay and watch the band play their folk songs. It was a memorable experience that to this day I still remember. Indeed, the opening shot in the documentary represents a striking similarity to what I witnessed about the grassroots culture that is present in local communities and its influence on music. It is just fascinating.


It is evident during numerous jamming sessions on his visits to villages that Bella is extremely respectful of local musicians and communities. Not for a single moment do Bella and his crew tell local musicians how and what to do. He is going with the flow, trying to learn as much as he can about their music and instruments. In fact, most of the time he is trying to keep up with the local musicians and not the other way around. As a result, on these trips Bella fostered new friendships while cementing old ones. I am sure the locals would welcome him back, if he were to come back for another session.


The music is the best part of this documentary. During the jamming sessions, the locals were friendly and supportive to Bella’s team. Coupled with Bella’s down-to-the-earth attitude, resourcefulness, and existing friendships, he was able to tap into local communities much easier. Consequently, he was able to get in touch with musicians who would otherwise be wary of a westerner in their village. These musicians opened their hearts and homes to Bella’s team by establishing a common bond in music.


The jamming session normally begins with Bella inquisitive about their musical instruments, followed by a quick primer from a musician. Afterwards, musicians sing a folk song using their unique instruments and Bella tries to jam using his banjo. The music is excellent, and for most part it is an acquired taste. Having said this, no segment of these performances is westernized.  As a result, not only the music created stays true to its roots and origins, but it is also real and fun.


In spite of all the positives, I felt the documentary was about ten or fifteen minutes longer than desired. A couple of performances could have been edited that would have tightened the documentary a bit. However, this is only a minor quibble about an otherwise solid effort.


Video: When I first watched this film, I was surprised how good the video looked on this DVD. For a moment, I thought I was watching the Blu-ray edition. The colors are vibrant, with good contrast. There is a lot of depth, and overall the image is sharp and crisp throughout. I was pleasantly surprised by the video quality of this documentary.


Audio: There are two audio options for this release:  a 2.0 English Dolby Digital track and a 5.1 Dolby Digital track. Both options are good in that dialogue is always clear. It is in the performances where the 5.1 surround sound shines. Of course, it was a bit of a challenge for the re-recording mixer, Elmo Weber, to capture lively noises from these performances. The 5.1 mode is the best way to experience this documentary.


Extras:
First, we get an audio commentary with Bella Fleck and Director Sascha Paladino. This is a great and fun commentary track in which both men share their experiences during their trip to Africa. We get insight on how they were able to reach out to musicians in remote villages and various challenges that came their way.


Also included is over an hour of bonus scenes and musical performances, along with a filmmaker biography.


Parting thoughts:
Paladino’s “Throw Down Your Heart” succeeds in capturing the essence of African music, its local musicians and their instruments in an emotional and uplifting manner. The music and jamming sessions are great, and the film ends with an emotional performance by Oumou Sangare. Fans of world music should definitely check this out.


Ratings


Video = 8/10
Audio = 7/10
Extras = 7/10
Film = 8/10