PRESS FOR ROOM OF WONDERS

• “The Yo-Yo Ma of the banjo.”
  → GLOBE AND MAIL
• “This is what the future of the banjo sounds like.”
  → SONGLINES
• “I take back what I said about Jayme Stone.”
  → STEVE MARTIN
• “Stone’s banjo playing is a source of limitless creative expression.”
  → NO DEPRESSION
• “One of the most adventurous banjo players out there.”
  → EDMONTON JOURNAL
• “The music is as spirited as its creator. It’s hard to imagine a room large enough to contain the talent that went into its making, or the varied sounds it surveys.”
  → GEORGIA STRAIGHT
• “The Room of Wonders of the title perhaps refers to the inside of his head – Stone’s rich, unfettered imagination – as he pursues music inspired by folk dances from around the world.”
  → TORONTO STAR
• “This is banjo like you’ve never heard it before.”
  → OTTAWA CITIZEN

PRESS FOR AFRICA TO APPALACHIA

• “That rare example of a musical exploration going perfectly, a cultural summit that sounds vibrant and seamless for all the right reasons.”
  → EXCLAIM!
• “Juno-winning banjoist Jayme Stone is back with Africa To Appalachia, a West African-inspired mix of original and traditional gems that highlights his ear for winning melodies and curiosity about under-studied sounds.”
  → NOW MAGAZINE
• “There’s something utterly enchanting about this collaboration.  The whole thing just seems completely at ease with itself; a real joy to listen to.”
  → SONGLINES
• “Stone combines a jazz musician’s sense of timing and sureness of touch with a pop musician’s brevity and directness.”
  → THE GUARDIAN
• “Top ten album of 2008.  Their album marries music from Mansa’s community with Jayme’s old-time influences…It’s a triumph.”
  → THE OBSERVER
• “A brilliant synthesis of music from two different cultures in which you can hear echoes and resonances of the journey that the banjo has made in its crossing of the Atlantic.”
  → BBC RADIO
• “As in the best collaborations, you can feel the respect, understanding and interaction between the musicians.”
  → LONDON EVENING STANDARD
• “A winning, swinging fusion that mixes African grooves and hoedown rusticity.”
  → OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY
• “A deftly arranged collaboration of seemingly effortless ease.  A confidently delivered, finely judged album with no boundary-crossing joins showing.”
  → fROOTS
• “A discreet and beautifully polished recording of music that floats effortlessly through a landscape simultaneously West African and North American.”
  → GLOBE AND MAIL
• “A wondrous rebirth of native musical traditions, flowing out of a questing artist’s search for the culture, tradition, expressions, and connections that can’t be found through a high-tech internet search engine. Highly recommended.”
  → LIBRARY REVIEW
• “Their new collaborative album brings shared history to light in deft arrangements of Stone’s banjo and Sissoko’s kora playing.”
  → LA TIMES
• “One of the most amazing, unexpected musical collaborations of the year.”
  → PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE
• “Entrancing and educational, a polyrhythmic tale of two continents.”
  → MINNEAPOLIS TRIBUNE
• “Stone and Sissoko have given the world a gift by simultaneously creating a beautiful collection of music and giving testament to music’s ability to bridge gaps, facilitate cultural dialogue, and bring people together.”
  → AFROBEAT BLOG
• “The global music scene has had a fair share of collaborations lately. Africa to Appalachia is one that stands out through exemplary musicianship and an unassuming attitude.”
  → WORLD MUSIC CENTRAL
• “It would be nice if the past and present could always come together this well and create something as delightful as the music on this disc.”
  → BLOG CRITICS
• “The miles between these seemingly disparate sounds are traversed with verve and agility.”
  → PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER
• “A joyous West-African inspired, genre-bending album.”
  → MONTREAL GAZETTE
• “Enthralling… surprising simple, clear and relaxed.”
  → PITTSBURGH NEWS
• “A sharp album that is going to turn a lot of heads.  Each seamless song proves that music is universal.”
  → WHOLE MUSIC EXPERIENCE
• “A gorgeous record through and through.”
  → CONSCIOUS CHOICE

PRESS FOR THE UTMOST

• “Stone is the consummate team player… always right in the middle with his polished, inventive banjo playing.”
  → DOWNBEAT
• “Bridging jazz, bluegrass and everything in between with smart compositions, playful jams, and a great sense of purpose. It’s music that’s difficult to describe, but easy to love.”
  → CBC RADIO
• “What roots/jazz banjo virtuoso Jayme Stone doesn’t know about his instrument probably isn’t worth knowing.”
  → TORONTO STAR
• “Inquisitive urban banjo ace launches The Utmost, a graceful collection of jazz-affected bluegrass.”
  → GLOBE AND MAIL
• “An intent focus on all aspects of music… one of the most open-minded banjoists around.”
  → BANJO NEWS
• Jayme “has jam band fans doing cartwheels in the street and hardcore jazz fans re-examining their priorities.”
  → NOW MAGAZINE
• “Imagine a more chilled out Béla Fleck and the Americana side of Bill Frisell and you’re on track.”
  → FRETS MAGAZINE
• “Jayme Stone is a banjoist who has learned well the lessons of Trischka and Fleck, and has come up with a distinctive approach to newgrass.”
  → CHICAGO TRIBUNE
• “Relive the glory days of precision pickin’ on this extraordinary new album. Art deco jazz.”
  → DETROIT TIMES
• “Stone is drawing on more than jazz, more than bluegrass – and even more than music.”
  → ASPEN TIMES
• “Jazz with the verve of a happy pop tune.”
  → ALL ABOUT JAZZ
• “A banjo big-wig.”
  → BOULDER DIRT