In Griot Time

In Griot Time

Product Description

Djelimady Tounkara is only one of the memorable people you will meet in this dramatic narrative of life among the griot musicians of Mali. Born into families where music and the tradition of griot story-telling is a heritage and a privilege, Djelimady and his fellow griots -- both men and women -- live their lives at the intersection of ancient traditions and the modern entertainment industry. During the seven months he spent living and studying with Djelimady, Banning Eyre immersed himself in a world that will fascinate you as it did him. Eyre creates a range of unforgettable portraits. Some of the people who stride through his pages are internationally known, musicians like Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, and Grammy winner Ali Farka Toure. But the lesser-known characters are equally fascinating: Adama Kouyate, Djelimadys dynamic wife Moussa Kouyate, the Tounkara familys own griot Yayi Kanoute, the flamboyant jelimuso (female griot) who failed to take America by storm Foutanga Babani Sissoko, the mysterious millionaire who rebuilt an entire town and whose patronage is much sought after by the griots of Bamako. But the picture Eyre draws is not just a series of portraits. Out of their interactions comes a perceptive panorama of life in Mali in the late twentieth century. The narrative gives us a street-level view of the transformation of musical taste and social customs, the impact of technology and the pressures of poverty, at a crucial time in Malis history. In individual after individual, family after family, we see the subtle conflicts of heritage and change. Even the complications of democracy -- with democracy, mango vendors think they can charge anything they want,Djelimady points out -- are woven into an unforgettable saga of one man, his family, his profession, and the world of Malian music.
Rate Points :5.0
Binding :Paperback
Label :Temple University Press
Manufacturer :Temple University Press
ProductGroup :Book
Studio :Temple University Press
Publisher :Temple University Press
EAN :9781566397599
Price :$24.95USD
Lowest Price :$17.40USD
Customer Reviewsmusical biography/ travel writing at its best
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :2
Due to the low profile of African music in the States, this subject matter is so esoteric that any work on the subject would certainly be welcome. But thankfully, this is the work of a seasoned music journalist, whose charisma opens nearly every possible door to the life of Malis great musicians. The book starts as Eyre shows up unannounced to meet Djelimady Tounkara, perhaps Malis greatest living griot artists. As Eyre is taken under Djelimadys wing as an understudy, he finds opportunities to meet other great and colorful elements in Malis music world, including a musician who shunned his royal upbringing to a humble music life (Salif Keita), and a mysterious millionaire patron of the arts who worked his way up from humble roots (Babani Sissoko).

Throughout his study, Eyre remains humble, admitting that there is a whole host of young musicians in Mali half his age more advanced than he in this study. At one point he likens studying with Djelimady to "reaching into a rushing stream of water hoping to pull out a fish before it slithered away forever." Though Eyre is upfront about his preference to study music "stripped of its context," he doesnt skimp on highlighting the importance of politics, religion, and history surrounding the music.

His approach to viewing Africa is refreshing where international aid workers "looked around and saw sickness and suffering, good people held down by backwardness... I looked around and saw a cultural lodestone, musical diamonds and gold everywhere. I wanted the Malians to give me the hard lessons." Its hard not to agree with Eyres perception of Malis musical greatness in fact, in the 60s and 70s, the government mandated that the bands they subsidized all maintain deep roots to Malian tradition- unlike many other African countries, whose musical identities have been whitewashed by Western influences.

Of course Id recommend this book to anyone interested in studying African music, but it should also be compelling for anyone interested in a "cultural exchange" with the remote and exotic city of Bamako, Mali, which happens to not be all that far from Timbuktu.

Wake up and hear the music!
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :14
Banning Eyre has obviously spent a great deal of time loving and learning the music and culture of Mali. His book takes you straight to the heart of what the people and their music are all about. Effortlessly, he guides you on an excursion to this unique land. Youll taste the food, feel the heat and hear the music! In fact, you can hear the music in the companion CD. I love both the book and the CD!

V.S. Naipaul fans: you will love this book!
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :19
"In Griot Time" is a MAJOR travel literature event! Readers of V. S. Naipauls travel nonfiction will delight in this new book written by a former student of Naipaul, Banning Eyre of National Public Radio and Boston Phoenix fame. This astonishingly good book rivals and even surpasses Naipaul in the very areas Naipaul excels. Eyres writing recalls Naipauls best, with a fresh new vibrance, mature with a quiet, intelligent masculinity, reflecting Eyres years of magazine and newspaper work. The Canadian Eyre masterfully takes the best of his teachers legacy, then expands it, using his relative youth and considerable musical and literary skills to show us a fascinating view of travel and Malian culture not just as a writer, as an outsider, but also as a working musician and student of Malian styles, a view requiring a stamina and persona more reminiscent of Hemingway than Naipaul. Eyre is truly an exciting and important new voice in travel literature. NOT TO BE MISSED. Ive read and loved all of Naipauls books--and "In Griot Time" is even better if such a thing is possible! Thank you, Banning Eyre! Note: Im an old friend of the author, and have read his writing from his early teenage days on. He was good to begin with, and Ive watched him get better and better over the years. Im also a long-time fan of V.S. Naipauls works and consider him one of the great masters of 20th-century literature. Imagine my utter joy when I read "In Griot Time," and found Eyre has grown into everything Naipaul is and more! Now I can say "I knew him when..." :)

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