On May 26th, Global Arts Live presented online a concert by Daby Touré. Mr. Touré is a singer/musician from Senegal; he broadcast the concert from his home in Montreal. For 40 minutes he sang a soothing, pensive set of his songs, presumably his own, accompanying himself on guitar.
He has a modest voice and he sings unpretentiously. Sometimes he sings a falsetto descant, but not a strong falsetto. Sometimes he pats his guitar; sometimes he taps it with all five fingers it, sounding like rain.
Mr. Touré sang in languages most of us don’t understand, with the exception of one song. He never told us what these languages were or what the lyrics are about. Indeed, he hardly spoke to us to us at all during his 40 minutes online (when he did, he spoke French and English).
Moreover, Maure Aronson, Executive Director of Global Arts Live, who introduced Mr. Touré, never told us anything that might help us to receive these songs. The producer of world music needs to educate his audience.
His agency’s website tells us that he sings in the West African languages of his childhood: Wolof, Soninké and Pulaar.
But it’s not necessary to understand the words to appreciate these gentle songs. Whether they’re cheerful or dreamy, they’re life-affirming. We can get lost in this serene music. Mr. Touré gives it an intensely personal tone.
Mr. Touré started with a song that was almost without time, with pauses, almost half-realized, half-sung and half-spoken. Lovely. Some later songs were more full-voiced. Some had a more pronounced beat, with Mr. Touré strumming his mellow guitar gently.
His last song was sung in English and French, gently promising:
This is the time – time – time – time –
For us – for us – for us.
This seems to have been his message throughout.
I would have liked to hear some songs that were more challenging. Mr. Touré is capable of a greater musical range than this. He can sustain a note, but never did in this concert.
Nonetheless, I’m a fan now. The foreign languages give the songs mystery and give us the freedom to appreciate them without understanding. Wonderful work.
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More about Daby Touré
Author: Steve Capra
