Crossroads Music presents:
JAYME STONE AND MANSA SISSOKO
American banjo reunited with its African roots
Friday, September 26 at 7:30 pm
48th St. and Baltimore Ave. in West Philadelphia (in Calvary Church)
http://www.crossroadsconcerts.org
Canadian banjo virtuoso JAYME STONE learned his craft both from fellow
banjo players Béla Fleck, Tony Trischka and Bill Evans and jazz
musicians like Dave Douglass and Bill Frisell. He began his
professional career playing roots-inflected jazz with the band
Tricycle, but his first solo album, 2007’s Juno (Canadian Grammy)
winning The Utmost, demonstrated that he is equally adept at jazz-
inflected roots. While he had long wondered what aspects of the banjo
didn’t make it across the ocean with the enslaved Africans who brought
it to North America in the 1700-1800’s, Jayme began studying African
music seriously after meeting Mansa Sissoko during a 2004 tour of
Canada. "With little common language between us, we turned to music
for communication," he says of their first meeting. "This tangible
heart-to-heart connection was there immediately and I knew that he was
the perfect collaborator for the project." In preparation for
recording the album Africa to Appalachia, Jayme spent seven weeks in
Mali, where he studied with the likes of Djelimady Sissoko, Adama
Tounkara, Basseskou Kouyate, and Toumani Diabate.
MANSA SISSOKO is both a griot from a family that preserves community
history, stories, and music in the oral tradition and one of a new
generation of singer-songwriters from Mali, West Africa who weaves his
music around the sound of traditional instruments and lyrics which
encourage people in their day-to-day life. A master of the kora, a 21-
stringed harp, he grew up in the town of Kita, which has long been
famous for its musicians. His mother sang for ceremonies like
marriages and baptisms and especially for other women, while his
father was a "speaking griot," who reminded people of their family
histories, their roles and responsibilities in society. For the past
fifteen years, Mansa has been performing across Mali in both rural
villages and major centers like Tombuktou, Segou, and Bamako. He has
performed on national television, for ambassadors from around the
world, and always for friends who visit at his house. For five years
he played with the great Habib Koite and he has also recorded and
performed with Tiken Jah Fakoly, one of West Africa's most popular new
artists. He has toured Senegal, Burkina Faso, France, and Canada,
organized and performed in Mali's national kora festival, and is the
subject of an upcoming documentary film.
Guitarist GRANT GORDY has performed with the likes of Chris Thile, Ben
Krakauer and Matt Flinner and was chosen to play the prestigious Young
Artists Concert at Carnegie Hall alongside Edgar Meyer and Mike
Marshall. He currently plays in the Jayme Stone Quartet and most
recently, the David Grisman Quintet.
Drummer HARRIS EISENSTADT has collaborated with Bobby Bradford, Les
Claypool, Yusef Lateef, Butch Morris, Sam Rivers, and Wadada Leo
Smith, among many others. He has performed throughout the US and
Canada, Australia, in Japan and West Africa, released six albums as a
leader and appeared on 35 other recordings. His most recent recording,
The All Seeing Eye + Octets was nominated for "Best Tribute Album of
2007" in All About Jazz NY and appeared on "Top Ten of 2007" lists in
the Village Voice, Wire, Signal to Noise, and All About Jazz.
SOUND SAMPLES AND MORE INFORMATION
http://www.crossroadsconcerts.org
TICKET PRICING
Standard price: $15
Special Supporters: $20
Discount price: $10 (for students, seniors, or if you can’t afford to
come otherwise)
Children under 12: $5
Crossroads events are priced on a sliding scale. We are a not-for-
profit organization and want as many people as possible to be able to
come. If you’re unable to come otherwise, please pay the discount
price, and, if you can afford it, please consider paying the supporter
price so we can continue this policy.----
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