In Griot Time

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 Mali's great musicians. The book starts as Eyre shows up unannounced to meet Djelimady Tounkara, perhaps Mali's greatest living griot artists. As Eyre is taken under Djelimady's wing as an understudy, he finds opportunities to meet other great and colorful elements in Mali's 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 doesn't 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." It's hard not to agree with Eyre's perception of Mali's 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 I'd 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.

"In Griot Time" is a MAJOR travel literature event! Readers of V. S. Naipaul's 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. Eyre's writing recalls Naipaul's best, with a fresh new vibrance, mature with a quiet, intelligent masculinity, reflecting Eyre's years of magazine and newspaper work. The Canadian Eyre masterfully takes the best of his teacher's 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. I've read and loved all of Naipaul's books--and "In Griot Time" is even better if such a thing is possible! Thank you, Banning Eyre! [Note: I'm an old friend of the author, and have read his writing from his early teenage days on. He was good to begin with, and I've watched him get better and better over the years. I'm also a long-time fan of V.S. Naipaul's 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..." :)]

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. You'll 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!