Writer and broadcaster Banning Eyre journeyed to the West African state of Mali during the 1990s to explore the music of the country's storytelling griots, musical storytellers who embody the history and culture of their country in their songs. The resulting book, IN GRIOT TIME, is both a musical and social history of a young nation inhabited by families whose loyalties and rivalries go back hundreds of years. Eyre's tale is more than an academic study of African music: his involvement with the Malian griot Djelimady Tounkara and his extended family gives his narrative a suspenseful feel as he delves deeper into the music's social purpose and subtleties. Eyre's realization that the griots aren't above fawning and twisting their histories in their rich patrons' favor to get more money out of them doesn't dim his view of the music, though he feels compelled to distance himself from its context. The author's profiles of international stars like the Grammy award-winning guitarist Ali Farka Toure and the master kora player Toumani Diabate gain added depth by capturing the musicians in their social setting, while his own experiences as Tounkara's student and guest make this combination musical study and travelogue riveting reading. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.