A book for musicians and all fans of the kora.The kora is a beautiful West African instrument, part of a long classical musical tradition with a rich oral history. This book describes the instrument in detail. It is intended for those who play, or wish to play the kora, or for anyone who would like to know more about the kora and its music.The book provides information about: How a kora is made Tuning, scales and music theory Kora history Buying and looking after a kora Learning to play and some tunes for beginners The history, people and geography of the area that the kora comes from The role of the Jali (Griot) The Jali repertoire and their Epics Kora players and recordings and more...

With Mande Music, Eric Charry offers the most comprehensive source available on one of Africa's richest and most sophisticated music cultures. Using resources as disparate as early Arabic travel accounts, oral histories, and archival research as well as his own extensive studies in Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and the Gambia, Charry traces this music culture from its origins in the thirteenth-century Mali empire to the recording studios of Paris and New York. He focuses on the four major spheres of Mande music—hunter's music, music of the jelis or griots, jembe and other drumming, and guitar-based modern music—exploring how each evolved, the types of instruments used, the major artists, and how each sphere relates to the others. With its maps, illustrations, and musical transcriptions as well as an exhaustive bibliography, discography, and videography, this book is essential reading for those seeking an in-depth look at one of the most exciting, innovative, and deep-rooted phenomena on the world music scene. A compact disc is available separately.

Ten year-old Sidikiba is about to be initiated into the world of the kora, a twenty-one stringed West African harp performed by his family for seventy generations. To become a kora player, like his father and grandfather before him, Sidikiba must honor and respect the wisdom of his elders, trust in the mystical secrets of his community, and, above all else, be patient and practice hard. Sidikiba's Kora Lesson is the story of a child's encounter with a rich cultural heritage set in a modern African city, where learning to balance the new and the old is part of growing up. Through sound, pictures, and text, Sidikiba's Kora Lesson comes alive for readers and music lovers of all ages "

These two long stories by modernist master H.D. paint the wreckage of post-World War I Europe--both human and civilizational--in bright, vivid detail.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Kora in Hell: Improvisations" by William Carlos Williams. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Griots at War Conflict, Conciliation, and Caste in Mande Barbara G. Hoffman An extraordinary account of conflict and peacemaking among griots. "... a compelling study of how social identities and relationships are constructed and reconstructed through action, specifically through speech.... The book succeeds marvelously in conveying the voice of the people who are, in every sense of the word, its subject." -- Robert Launay In 1985, while she was an apprentice griot or jelimuso, Barbara G. Hoffman saw and recorded a remarkable event in the small town of Kita, Mali. For four days, thousands of griots from all parts of the Mande world gathered to talk, sing, and make music in celebration of the opening of the new Hall of Griots and the installation of the recently named Head Griot. This unprecedented assembly also marked the end of a deadly two-year conflict fought with griot weapons -- words, reputations, and sorcery. Hoffman captures griots making speeches, singing songs of praise, and dancing in honor of their restored unity. Her discerning interpretations of the speeches not only explore the art of griot oratory but show how the use of history, metaphor, religion, proverbs, and praise can mend a community torn apart by war. The speeches, often marked by a keen edge, also reveal what it means to be a griot in a casted society and to demand that other castes recognize and respect this unique identity. The griot's formidable linguistic abilities come to the fore as they negotiate, reestablish, and assert their cultural power. This exceptional book, including generous extracts from the griots' speeches in Mande and in translation, offers surprising and important insights into the multiple meanings of Mande culture, caste, and identity. Barbara G. Hoffman is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Cleveland State University. She is author of many essays on Mande culture and producer of ethnographic videos on East and West African cultures. She is known to the Mande griot community as Jeli Jeneba Jabate. Contents Prologue: An Invitation to War Power and Paradox: Griots and Mande Social Organization In the Hands of Speech: Mande Discourse A History of Fadenya: Interpretations of the Kita Griot War Making Boundaries: When Griots Speak before Nobles Breaking Boundaries: When Nobles Speak before Griots The Healer Who Is Ill Must Swallow His Own Saliva: When Griots Speak to Griots Caste, Mande Style Epilogue: A Wound Cannot Heal on Pus

The book aims to reflect characteristic aspects of Dr Picken's study of Oriental and other non-Western musics. Appealing in particular to those engaged in the study of non-Western music, the volume will also interest everyone concerned with musical structures and their development.