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 of the modern banjo.
The two are on the last leg of their US tour, and recorded this interview recently at the studios of Minnesota Public Radio.
The segment ran nine and a half minutes including a discussion of the evolution of what we now recognize as the banjo from its African roots, plus live (in studio) performances of music from the CD.
The audio from the segment, plus a text overview, can be found on the NPR web site.
