Banjo master Bela Fleck has always been adventurous with his instrument. His work with New Grass Revival placed soul, jazz and blues themes squarely into bluegrass music. He moved on to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, in which jazz and classical music -- often in odd time signatures -- burned an even deeper trail.

But in 2005, Fleck took his instrument on an adventure. A trip to four African nations, meant to bring the banjo back to its roots, resulted in the award-winning documentary, "Throw Down Your Heart," and a companion album that won two Grammy awards.

On Thursday night, Fleck brought a group of brilliant African musicians to Jefferson Center's Shaftman Hall, where his Africa Project moved off the digital disc and into the uber-hip travelogue category. In front of a sold-out crowd in the 924-capacity room, the only thing missing was the scenery of Uganda, Tanzania, Gambia and Mali.

For the Africa Project show, Fleck brought thumb pianist/vocalist Anania Ngoliga and guitarist/vocalist John Kitime, from Tanzania, and Malian ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate and his band, Ngoni Ba (that means "big ngoni"). Each was a match for Fleck's virtuosity, as was a surprise guest, American fiddle player Casey Driessen.

Ngoliga and Kitime helped Fleck start the show. Ngoliga's thumb pianos sounded like miniature steel drums, and his thumbs were zephyr-quick, while Kitime fingerpicked laid-back rhythm parts and sang harmony with Ngoliga -- who sang like a chicken on a song that Fleck told the audience was about one of Ngoliga's girlfriends, who has "a voice like a radio, and sometimes like a chicken." Fleck's chicken-pickin' licks were a fine complement to the mouth noise.

Ngoni Ba featured four ngoni players picking instruments of different sizes, two pounding, sizzling percussionists and wonderful, award-winning singer Amy Sacko, Kouyate's wife. On songs from the band's album, "I Speak Fula," Kouyate showed that he is like a Jimi Hendrix of the ngoni, even working a wah-wah pedal. "The maestro, Bela Fleck," as Kouyate called him, added his own hummingbird chops to fire up the set.

The second set featured all the players in different configurations, highlighted by Fleck, Driessen and Ngoni Ba's percussionists stomping out a little "Old Joe Clark."