Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa, by Eric Charry

Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa, by Eric Charry

From the early thirteenth century to the sixteenth century, the Mande (or Mali) Empire was one of the largest and most powerful empires in West Africa, at its height covering the area from the western Atlantic coast to Gao in the east and Timbuktu in the north. The descendants of Mande peoples include the Maninka (in Mali and Guinea) and the Mandinka (of Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau). These peoples have long had a rich history of musical traditions. In his book, Mande Music, Eric Charry provides a comprehensive study of the music cultures in this region.

Mande Music is based on a wide variety of sources, from the author's own extensive field research in West Africa (Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, and Guinea) to an impressive collection...