The banjo is mainly associated with country and bluegrass, music not many listeners associate with Africa. Yet the predecessor of the banjo also comes from Africa. Earlier, blues artist Otis Taylor exposed the black roots of the instrument with his album Recapturing The Banjo. Canadian banjo player Jayme Stone takes it a step further. He took his banjo to Mali and there he met the kora player Mansa
… Sissoko. The duo decided to jam together on a number of Malian traditionals. Songs that became known by artists such as Toumani Diabaté and Ali Farka Touré. The result is more than the sum of its parts. Jayme Stone doesn't sound like a tourist who goes native for a moment. It actually contributes and enriches Sissoko's authentic griot sound. With inventive arrangements that also include room for violin and trumpet, for example, the duo delivers an album that, strangely enough, sounds subdued and festive at the same time. (PdK)more
