We are very proud to present this fine group of musicians, Jayme Stone and Folklife, who explore the deep roots music of North America and beyond. This is a completely new show, a follow-up to an earlier tour and album called the Lomax Project, which was performed here at Caltech with a slightly different line-up three years ago. They are touring the country, winding up in New York’s Carnegie Hall in June. Jayme Stone is a Canadian banjo innovator, known for his bringing together diverse music, be it Bach or from Africa. His range is tremendous and his knowledge of the music insures that it will be an authentic rendering. The program treats old field recordings from the Library of Congress not as time capsules, but as heirloom seeds passed down from a bygone generation. Planting these sturdy seeds in modern soil, this versatile gathering of musicians- Moira Smiley, Sumaia Jackson & Joe Phillips– has cultivated vibrant Sea Island spirituals, Creole calypsos, and stomp-down Appalachian dance tunes for contemporary listeners. Focusing on songs collected from field recordings at the Library of Congress, this ensemble preserves the essence of these fine recordings, while polishing them just a bit with contemporary nuances. Their recording based on this project, Jayme Stone’s Folklife, was nominated for a Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy equivalent) in the Traditional Roots Album of the Year category in 2018.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children and Caltech students. They will soon be available at the Caltech Ticket Office by calling (626) 395-4652 and at the Caltech Ticket Office in their new location at 1200 E. California Boulevard in Pasadena (Southeast corner of Wilson Avenue). Their usual hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. They will soon be available online as well.  Join our mailing list and you’ll be sure to be notified about the show a few weeks ahead of time.

The show will be in Beckman Institute Auditorium (“Little Beckman”) at 400 South Wilson Avenue. On concert night, free parking is available in the lot behind Beckman Auditorium (“Big Beckman), but this lot may fill up, especially if there are other events on campus that night. You can always find parking for our shows in the two parking structures on Wilson Avenue, just south of Del Mar Boulevard. On weekends and after 6:00 PM, you may park in spaces that have individual names. Restrictive wording at the structures refers to weekdays before 6:00 PM. There is also parking available on Wilson Avenue itself. Beckman Institute is on the other side of the large lawn on Wilson Avenue, on the first floor of the left portion of the building. If you get to the fountain and pools that point toward the white, round, building (Beckman Auditorium, which we refer to as “Big Beckman,” you have gone too far. See this map. Beckman Institute is building #74 and the parking structures are #123 and #124.