CANADIAN banjo legend, Jayme Stone, teams up with griot singer and kora player, Mansa Sissoko, at The Forge, Basingstoke, on Friday, January 23.

In “Africa to Appalachia”, they will explore the strong African roots of the banjo in a fascinating musical meeting of cultures.

The project was a long time in the making. Four years before setting foot on Malian soil, Stone met Mansa Sissoko; Stone soon realised that Sissoko was a walking encyclopedia of Malian songs, many of them learned from his mother. “With little common language between us, we turned to music for communication,” Stone recalls. “This tangible heart-to-heart connection was there immediately and I knew that he was the perfect collaborator for the project.”

For more information or for tickets, call the Anvil Arts box office on 01256 844244.