Black Mountain – Versatile banjo player and guitarist Béla Fleck teams with Abigail Washburn, as among other featured acts Oct. 17-20 at Camp Rockmont and its scenic Lake Eden in Black Mountain.
Since debuting in 1995, LEAF has honored various musical and dance traditions such as Latin, Cajun, African, as well as folk and mountain music. Performers are from across the globe. “We connect people with music not necessarily on a Spotify list, or in their day-to-to-day listening,” festival founder Jennifer Pickering said. She is LEAF Global Arts co-executive director, with Errin Hartley.
“You’re seeing them in a beautiful, outdoor, covered setting with a rather small group of people,” Pickering said. The festival draws about 5,000 people daily. “We keep it smaller than pre-COVID. That feels right,” Pickering said. “It’s an intimate, extraordinary experience.”
A poetry slam, indoor dancing, pickleball, and outdoor healing arts sessions are among festival activities.
World Drum Day
This 52nd LEAF festival’s new event is bound to make the book that Pickering is writing about the festival. Her first-ever World Drum Day will last 24 hours, from noon to noon on Oct. 19-20.
The stated purpose on worlddrumday.org is to “connect the human family through music and rhythm — our innate and collective creativity.” Planned participants include LEAF International artists and students at 21 cities on four continents.
People can join in remotely. “We prefer you be at LEAF,” Pickering said. “We’ll set up a place by the ‘ship,’” the elongated structure between the main stage and a creek. “Those who don’t bring drums can use your lap, or pots and pans,” Pickering suggested. “Ideally, take two minutes and drum — while thinking of the best version of the world that you can imagine.”
The World Drum Day kickoff is noon to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, on the Eden Field main stage. Drummers include Chief Shaka Zulu. He helped develop the drum day idea. Zulu calls it a time to “put down the guns, and pick up the drums.” The drum day exemplifies LEAF’s year-long theme of “ World Changers: Year of the Artivist.”
‘World Changer’ Sheila E.
“Queen of Percussion” Sheila E. will take the main stage on Saturday, Oct. 19, arouond 8:15-9:30 p.m. “Sheila E. is an extraordinary person. She’s a trailblazer as a female drummer” who fronts her band, and who still performs vigorously, Pickering said. Sheila E. fits the festival theme of “World Changers: One Story, One Song, One Step at a Time” as a role model and an activist. Pickering calls such performers “artivists. They’re using music as platforms to shed light on important conversations, to preserve cultures that they come from, and to create better opportunities for people.”
Shelia E. and John Legend performed together at the Democratic National Convention in late August. “She didn’t ‘bring down the house.’ She lifted up the house,” Pickering said. “They had people dancing.” Like presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Sheila E. is from Oakland, Calif.
Sheila E., 66, is one of the biggest commercially-successful artists to perform at LEAF. She leaped into glamorous life with “The Glamorous Life.” The song topped dance charts for two weeks in 1984, and was a top-ten Hot 100 hit. She was Grammy-nominated for best new artist and female pop vocals. The video earned her three MTV award nominations. Prince Rogers Nelson wrote the song. She drummed with Prince and the Revolution, and reportedly was briefly engaged to Prince.
Pickering, a fan of Prince and his entourage as a teen, remains “blown away” by Sheila E.’s energetic drumming.
Sheila E. was born Sheila Cecilia Escovedo. Other LEAF Latinx performers include Las Cafeteras with “urban hip-hop, Colombian salsa sextet Las Guaracheras, and Azul Zapata (“blue shoe”) performing “Argentinian magic and disco.”
A mesmerizing global performer is Ustad Shafaat Khan playing up-tempo, classical Indian sitar. He plays on Oct. 18 at 9:30-10:30 p.m. in Eden Hall. He has performed with Stevie Wonder at Bonnaroo.
Fleck, Washburn
Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn are the festival’s final act, on the main stage on Sunday at 4-5:30 p.m. They will do a meet-and-greet 1:30-2 p.m. on Sunday in the Big Barn. They are billed as “The king and queen of banjo bluegrass, folk, and global fusion.”
Banjo player and guitarist Fleck, 66, is a 15-time Grammy Award winner. He has been nominated in more categories than any other artist in Grammy history. His style spans bluegrass, jazz, classical, pop, rock, and world beat.
For information on festival acts and tickets, check TheLEAF.org.