Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko

MUSIC: African/Roots/World
With little common language between them in their first meeting, Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko turned to music for communication. Their deep engagement in African music has allowed them to be immersed in the sound, rhythm and story of their collaboration, while exploring the communal aspects of music making. Stone has had a unique history of one-on-one learning that informs both his enduring passion for music and his inventive banjo playing. Sissoko, a kora-playing griot singer, is a walking encyclopedia of Malian history, a highly respected storyteller and a renowned musician. Together, their individual fluency affects a duo of equal parts participation, giving their music a sense of ritual and a feeling of belonging. "Stone is drawing on more than jazz - and more than bluegrass, and even more than music - for his inspiration,” (Stewart Oksenhorn, Aspen Times Weekly). The perpetual polyrhythm and supersonic melodies invite the listener to explore, through the duo’s crafty blending, a style that finds its purpose in tangible, heart-to-heart connections. “African music is not designed to be analyzed. It is [experienced] by doing,” (www.jaymestone.com).

PERSONNEL: Jayme Stone (banjo), Mansa Sissoko (kora).

CONNECTIONS: Tricycle, The Jayme Stone Quartet, Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka.

LATEST RECORDING: Africa to Appalachia (Independent, 2008).

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/jaymestone
 

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