African guitar expert parallels roots to Western music

Drawing on 20 years of experience with African music, guitar expert Banning Eyre connected the continent's historical rhythms to the Western music world Thursday in Boston University's College of Fine Arts concert hall as part of CFA's Musicology Lecture Series.

Eyre said he "got completely hooked" on African music after his first trip to the continent in 1987. He started to study African guitar styles and came to relish "coming up with ways of playing the guitar that were completely unique."

What started out as a hobby developed into a career. Eyre is the senior editor of Afropop.org and also speaks on National Public Radio and Afropop Worldwide, in addition to writing for the Boston Phoenix.

He discussed the difference in rhythmic concepts and the complexity of African rhythmic styles, comparing the music of the nearly 20 countries he has visited -- including Mali, Zimbabwe and the Congo -- to American blues, funk and rock and roll.

"We are in a huge cultural dialogue with Africa through music," he said, and though it is not well-appreciated in America, it is important to realize "how closely related [African music] is to our music."

Eyre's integration of the musical styles of different African countries represents the "enormous diversity" of sounds he has studied for more than two decades. He originally played with bands in Boston and said he had demanding teachers who "brought my playing up to a higher level."

Of all his trips, Eyre said his most profound experience was perhaps the seven months he spent living in Bamako, Mali, studying with an African guitarist. This formed the basis for his book, In Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali.

Eyre filmed many performances on his trips and played some of the highlights for his BU audience. He also spoke about the history of guitars and African music, how it has changed over time and how it became integrated with Western music.

Musicology department Chairman Victor Coelho has known Eyre for years and said he was excited to have a unique lecture and performance in CFA's Musicology series.

Coelho said research and study of non-Western music is "very much missing" from BU, and the university has an obligation to students to expand its offerings and include non-Western studies.

He also noted the connection between Eyre's performance and BU's African Studies program.

Coehlo said understanding African music is a critical component to understanding the foundation of American music.

"[African music's] impact on Western popular music is fundamental," he said.