Africa To Appalachia
We’ve written several times about Canadian banjoist Jayme Stone and his musical journey of discovery in West Africa. He traveled to Mali in the Spring of 2007 to research the aspects of the banjo’s historical roots as they are maintained in the musical culture of today’s Africa, and shared his impressions with us in a four part banjo travelogue.
His visit was inspired after Jayme had a chance to meet with Mansa Sissoko, a Malian musician and storyteller in the griot tradition, where history and culture are preserved in song. Now, the two have a CD ready for release where the North American and African banjo sounds are woven together. Sissoko performs on the kora while Stone uses a modern 5 string banjo.
Joining them are Bassekou Kouyate on the ngoni and Casey Driessen on fiddle. The project is entitled Africa To Appalachia, and is scheduled for release in Canada on June 28, and in the US on September 9.
Audio samples and more details can be found on Jayme’s web site. He will also be touring in support of the CD in Canada this summer and in the US in the fall.
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Jayme Stone is two-for-two at the Juno Awards, honoring the best of Canadian music each year.
Last night (3/29), he picked up his second award for the Best World Music Album of 2009 for his Africa To Appalachia project with Mansa Sissoko. The CD features Stone on banjo and Sissoko on the kora, a West...
Audio from a recent performance on Mountain Stage by Canadian banjoist Jayme Stone and Malian kora player Mansa Sissoko, is now available online. They perform music from their recent CD collaboration, Africa To Appalachia.
The kora is an African harp-like instrument thought to be an early precursor...
Following John's recent post concerning the upcoming release of Africa To Appalachia, the Los Angeles Times Music Blog conducted an interview with Jayme Stone recently.
The interview was published last Thursday. The primary focus is an exploration of the connections between American banjo/folk music...
Yesterday's (10/12) edition on Weekend All Things Considered on NPR included a segment on Africa To Appalachia, the recording that was born of banjoist Jayme Stone's musical journey of discovery in Western Africa. Stone partnered with Mansa Sissoko, a Malian musician who performs on the kora, a predecessor...
Canadian banjoist Jayme Stone has received a 2009 Juno nomination in the World Music Album of the Year category from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for his Africa To Appalachia CD, recorded with African musician Mansa Sissoko.
Stone won a Juno last year for his previous...
Canadian banjo player Jayme Stone shared a series of banjo travelogues with our readers during his recent musical journey through West Africa. Jayme was traveling on a Chalmers Arts Fellowship grant to research the music of African musicians who perform on banjo-like instruments, and will embark soon...
And yet even more great music on the radio today... Tonight (10/26) at 8:00 p.m., Canadian banjoist Jayme Stone will be featured on CBC Radio 2's Canada Live program.
CBC will be broadcasting a pair of concerts featuring Stone's eclectic tastes and inventive banjo style. The first pairs Jayme with...
In a previous post, we told of Canadian banjo picker Jayme Stone's journey through West Africa in preparation for an upcoming CD based on African banjo music. He has agreed to send us a series of updates from Africa - a banjo travelogue of sorts. Part 2 follows - with photos.
You can read all of his...
Audio from the most recent edition of Mountain Stage, featuring music from Jerry Douglas and Jayme Stone can be found at NPR.org.
Douglas performs a set of music from his latest CD, Glide, along with his band: Luke Bulla on fiddle, Todd Parks on bass, Chad Melton on drums, and Guthrie Trapp on guitar.
His...
Jayme Stone is a banjo player whose music is hard to categorize. In fact, you might say that it has no boundaries. You could say the same thing about his whereabouts.
With a new CD, The Utmost, due for release in May, Jayme is currently in Mali doing research and field recording for another upcoming...
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