By: Mike Oppenheim
In the early 1990s, guitarist and journalist Banning Eyre traveled to Bamako, Mali to study guitar with Djelimady Tounkara, one of the great Malian guitarists. In Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali is Eyre’s account of this experience, as well as a brief primer on the particular culture of jeliya.
Jelis are a special caste of musicians of the Manding ethnic group in West Africa, inheriting their art and social function from their families. Griot is an umbrella term for individuals of certain inherited social status and responsibilities in West Africa generally. Jelis are included in this group of griots.
Eyre’s account begins with an introduction to Djelimady Tounkara, the lead guitarist of Bamako’s state-funded Super Rail Band. Bands such as this would play a repertoire consisting of traditional griot songs relating (certain conceptions) of Malian history and praise songs for notable families.
These contemporary dance bands performed with both modern and traditional instruments. The expected audiences for such acts were urban professionals, and in cultivating an appeal for these fans, griot songs became imbued with a wide variety of outside influences. These included horn sections, Latin rhythms, rock influences, and anything else that was popular at the time.
Djelimady Tounkara is a frequent and fascinating character in Eyre’s reflections. Tounkara inhabits many roles in the narrative. He is Eyre’s teacher and friend, a preeminent musician in Bamako, a celebrity of distinguished status, and a socially significant individual due to his jeli status. However, Eyre successfully places and contextualizes Tounkara in relation to the other jelis and Malians surrounding him, from internationally renowned musicians Salif Keita and Ali Farka Toure, to wealthy benefactors, to his own family and friends.
Though the book is about music, it’s much more about the experience of living a musical lifestyle in Bamako. Eyre’s descriptions of his loosely formatted lessons, impromptu performances, and occasional conscription as producer and recording technician make up only one thread of the narrative. Eyre introduces many characters throughout, including musicians from other traditions and many non-musicians as well. In describing relationships, disputes, and obligations between the subjects of the book, Eyre paints a vivid portrait of life in Bamako.
In Griot Time reads as a combination of music, music history, anthropology, travelogue, and memoir. It is an excellent piece of journalism in the way it transports the reader to this slice of the sub-Saharan world. Eyre’s prose is simple yet effective and his content is evocative and informative. For those interested in an introduction to Malian music and culture, In Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali and the accompanying CD are an excellent starting point.
Visit the author’s homepage here to learn more: http://www.banningeyre.com/
