Jayme Stone

Here's a Juno award-winning banjoist who has immersed himself in the global history of folk music, with great results. In 2008, he travelled to Mali to research his instrument's African roots, which resulted in the bluegrass/African fusion album, Africa to Appalachia. For his latest release, Stone has cast his gaze across the pond to Europe. Room of Wonders has his band interpreting Nordic, Bulgarian, Irish and German (via the works of J.S. Bach) folk dances, as well as a pair of Stone's original compositions. Backed by the sprightly fiddle of Casey Driessen, Grant Gordy's rhythmic guitar and a low-end backbone from Greg Garrison, Stone's arrangements breathe new life into these established song forms. A supporting cast of additional players on trumpet, trombone, nyckelharpa, drums and accordion add remarkably delicate flourishes. Room of Wonders is another home run for Stone, sure to please the ears of folk-loving xenophiles everywhere.