The Summer Solstice brought a plethora of free performances in and around NYC, and the one I opted for was the Griot Summit at the Wave Hill Gardens overlooking the Hudson, in the Bronx. Who could resist getting away from the burning pavements of the city to saunter through bucolic splendor while listening to masters of the Griot tradition?

For those of you who are not familiar with the term "griot" (or jali, or jeli, depending on where the griot is from) a quick explanation: the griot is the repository of the history of his or her people, knowing geneologies and major epic songs by heart. Descended through the family line, the griot is not just a musician, but a living library, an advisor, and on occasion, a gadfly.  Understanding the function of the griot is a great way to gain insight into the culture of West Africa. But I have started my video with a good description, straight from the horse's mouth, so I'm sure you'll figure it out.  

The day started out with the various musicians scattered around the grounds, so that you could catch solos and larger groups as they performed in lushly green walkways, formal gardens and woodland areas. Then they all gathered for a massive display on the main stage, to get everyone riveted, then up and moving.  Personally, I was entranced and dazzled by the regal appearance of the griots. I guess I'm just a sucker for African Formal Wear; all those robes, headdresses and intense colors and bright white against dark skin knock me out.  I was also struck by the obvious musical links between what these musicians were conveying in its purest form, and the roots of our own American music: the glissandos, time signatures, the improvisations; it was all there to hear and mark as building blocks of the blues.

All in all it was an amazing gathering, and it was a tribute to Sylvain Leroux the curator, Isabel Soffer of Live Sounds, and the musicians, that it all came together so wonderfully well. After all, you can't just assume that Jalis from Guinea are going to play well with Jalis from Burkina Fasso or Mali.  But they certainly did here!

The day was hot, and this was shooting on the fly-- no way to deal with the light, the sound, the terrain, so I will beg your pardon for the occasional visual burn, bumpy camera work, and some audio distortion.

The participating musicians were:

Abdoulaye Diabate (Mali), Toumany Diabate (USA), Tapani Sissoko and her mother (Mali), Yacouba Sissoko (Mali), Mamady Kouyate (Guinea), Makane Kouyate (Mali), Ismael Diarra (Burkina Faso), Abdourahmane Mangara (Gambia), Aissatou Kouyate (Mali), Famoro Dioubate (Guinea), Andy Algire (USA), Sam Dickey (USA), Bailo Bah (Guinea), Ibrahima Soumano (Guinea), Mmah Doumbouya (Guinea), Ayiba Doumbouya (Guinea), Bebe Camara (Guinea), Nagna Diabate (Guinea), Hasan Bakr (USA), Zoumana Diabate (Mali), Moussa Diabate (Mali), Anette Lipson (USA), Kewulay Kamara (Sierra Leone), Lankandia Cissoko (Senegal), Yacouba Diabate (Burkina Faso), Sylvain Leroux (Canada).

For more music from this gathering, click here.

(Mosaic Video Alert: February 8, 2011) Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis continued to stage protest rallies and sit-ins in Sana'a and several other cities, demanding the ousting of the regime. Another "day of rage" was triggered by the death of a young man, who was killed by supporters of the General People's Congress ruling party a few days ago. Meanwhile in Sana'a's central prison, two prisoners were killed and several others were wounded in clashes between prisoners and anti-riot police. Hundreds of prisoners refused to return to their prison cells after the daily rest period, and some eyewitnesses say that some prisoners even climbed up to the prison's roof in a show of rebellion against the regime.

(Associated Press: 0800 PST, February 22, 2011) Protesters were clashing with riot police in the Greek capital Wednesday after rallies and a general strike by workers angry about the government austerity measures. One policeman burned when he was caught by a firebomb.

Greece Strike Turns Violent in Athens

(Russia Today: 0700 PST, February 23, 2011) Young demonstrators hurled rocks and fire bombs at riot police as clashes broke out on Wednesday in Athens during a mass rally against austerity measures, part of a general strike that crippled services and public ransportation around the country. Police fired tear gas and flash grenades at protesters, blanketing parts of the city centre in choking smoke.

(Mosaic Video Alert: February 8, 2011) Lebanon's New TV recounts the history of Egypt's last three revolutions: Starting with the "Orabi Revolt" that fought against Khedive and British control of Egypt, to the "Free Officers Movement" that unseated the Egyptian monarchy and replaced it with a republic, and concludes with the "Bread Riots" that led to Anwar Sadat's assassination in 1981.

(Euronews: 0600 PST, February 7, 2011) Three weeks after protestors in Tunisia ousted President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, authorities have suspended the activities of his former ruling party. Officials accused the old regime of trying to instigate chaos in an attempt to take back power.

Protests continue for the 14th day in Egypt. Al Jazeera's Arabic language channel showed protesters saying they will not leave Tahrir Square in Cairo until Mubarak steps down and reported that the army is trying to close off the square.

Iran's Arabic language channel, Al Alam, reported that protest leaders have formed a unified group called the "Youth of the Egyptian Revolution." The group said they will continue protesting until all of their demands are met, including Mubarak's resignation. According to Al Alam, the Muslim Brotherhood said their talks with the regime had failed.

Egyptian state television, Nile TV, reported that Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Shafiq believes it would be "unacceptable" for Mubarak to step down and that the regime was necessary to maintain stability for the next few months. He also said the army is not disturbing the protests and is only there for security. Nile TV also reported that the government approved a draft bill that would increase military and government employee salaries by 15 percent by April.

According to the BBC Arabic channel, U.S. President Barack Obama told Fox News that the Muslim Brotherhood is not the majority in Egypt. Press TV, the English language channel from Iran, showed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's first speech since the demonstrations began in Egypt. He supports the Egyptian protesters, saying they are "restoring the dignity of Arab people," and criticized the United States for supporting dictatorships.

Lebanon's New TV looked back at the life of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. They recount his career and the protests that led up to his 1981 assassination, which left his Vice President Hosni Mubarak in power.

Dubai TV reports that violence has erupted in Tunisia, including in the northwest city of Kef where youth set a police station on fire and the army was deployed in the streets. They also said protests broke out in Algeria, where youth unemployment is 20 percent.

Millions of Egyptians came out to Tahrir Square today for the "Day of Departure," according to Al Jazeera's Arabic channel. Demonstrators said all Egyptians were participating and that they would not leave until their demands were met.

BBC Arabic reported that both pro and anti-Mubarak protesters turned out in Alexandria. They also said that the Egyptian Attorney General banned several officials from leaving the country as a precautionary measure against them.

One of the banned ministers, former Minister of Commerce and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid, called into Nile TV, Egyptian state television. Rachid said he was in Dubai with the permission of authorities and did not know why he had been banned from traveling.

Al Alam, the Arabic language channel from Iran, reported that an European Union summit issued a statement today condemning the attacks on Egyptian demonstrators and calling for an immediate peaceful transition of power. They also said three demonstrations supporting the pro-democracy protesters took place in Brussels today.

Iran's English language channel, Press TV, showed demonstrations around the world in support of the anti-Mubarak protesters, including in Malaysia where protesters clashed with police.

Lebanon's New TV featured the newly appointed Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman. The soft-spoken Suleiman rose through the armed forces and military intelligence to become head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service.

As protests continue in Egypt, Dubai TV reports on how the unrest is affecting the Gaza Strip. Egypt is the main source of supplies for the people of Gaza. Transportation tunnels at the Rafah border crossing have been cut off since the protests erupted, leading to fears of a food shortage.

(Mosaic Video Alert: February 1, 2011) Iran's Press TV reports that protests in Tahrir Square, or Liberation Square, have turned from peaceful to violent with clashes erupting between "pro-Mubarak thugs" and anti-government demonstrators. The army can no longer be seen in Tahrir Square with soldiers opting to remain in their vehicles. Press TV reports that "thugs" entered the square on camels and horses and that there have been reports of gunshots and Molotov cocktails.

Click here for important background information on the unrest in Egypt.