Music reviewer Banning Eyre recently spent seven months in Mali, studying guitar techniques with one of west Africa's most talented guitarists. Once there, he found that the instrumental music he was interested in learning comes second to the words being sung by "griot" (GREE-oh) singers. Griots are oral historians, and as Eyre learned during his apprenticeship, their role in society has changed considerably over the centuries, but the griots continue to play an important part in society. (7:30) (IN S
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