Jayme Stone is a Canadian banjoist; Sissoko is a Malian griot who plays the kora, the mighty African harp whose stinging tonalities can resemble anything from a piano to a zither. What might seem like an odd pairing actually works swimmingly well here, perhaps because both musicians play plucked instruments of African origin. Stone’s background is obviously American roots music, although he’s up to a challenge and throughout this cd proves to be a great listener and ensemble player. Sissoko eschews the supersonic ferocity of a Mamadou Diabate for a more reflective, tersely melodic style that matches his sparring partner well. Where there are vocals, Sissoko sings in his native tongue. The result is a happy, fun, summery cd that might well be able to sneak onto more than a few Dave Matthews fans’ ipods (although it sounds ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE Dave Matthews). In fact, a best-case scenario for these two could be taking their bandmates along and hitching onto a tour with a good jam band - yes, they actually do exist – such as Widespread Panic or Poi Dog Pondering.

The cd kicks off with Bibi, upbeat with a breezy bluegrass feel. Cut two, Ninki Nanka slowly builds to a gypsy dance. After that, Djula is a happy, almost calypso number featuring  a beautifully incisive horn chart. Cut four, Tunya is more pensive with a false ending and more than a few echoes of the Grateful Dead.

Sila is drony with call-and-response vocals; Dakar, an upbeat 2-chord jam has Stone playing bluegrass and getting Sissoko to do the same. Bamaneyake, a hypnotic, sunbaked desert blues song moves more slowly and darkly, the kora’s clinking upper registers and glissandos making a striking contrast with the song’s underlying ambience.

The best song on the cd is Tree to Tree, a fiery, polyrhythmic anthem in the style of Zanzibar in the 20s, violin playing vigorously and climactically off the kora and the banjo. Tene, which follows, is a gentle, catchy, ringing number built on a repetitive 1-3-5 progression on the kora that’s straight out of 80s janglerock. Another of the album’s finest cuts, the richly melodic, slowly crescendoing traditional number Yelemane takes on an anthemic art-rock feel with a long, poignant kora solo over lush acoustic rhythm guitar and upright bass.With its lively violin and two-step beat, Chinquapin Hunting could be a Bill Monroe dance tune. The cd concludes with the quiet, reflective Kaira Ba. With a little exposure (and viral marketing among the college crowd), this could be the next world music blockbuster. It couldn’t happen to a nicer-sounding couple of guys. Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko play Drom at 8 PM on October 9, advance tix highly recommended at the box office.