Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita have released the single ‘Dimanche’ extracted from the duo’s upcoming album Echo (bendigedig). Dimanche (Sunday in French) is not just about Sunday, but rather any day a person might choose as their weekly rest for the soul. It is meant to be an eagerly anticipated day that provides a little island of time to appreciate your inner voice of happiness, of achievement. “You know, for me, as an artist, Sunday doesn’t exist,” Seckou says, “but it can exist any other day.”
Catrin and Seckou were in a hotel function room on the outskirts of Birmingham when they composed the song. It’s based on a tune that Catrin had come up with on the piano in her studio in South Wales.
“In the throes of lockdown, the rhythm of everyday life went completely out of sync“, says Catrin. ”Normal days lost their meaning, tunes and melodies started coming to the surface at all times of night and day. Ironically it became a productive time for me creatively and by the time we were able to play together the ‘tune banks’ were full of pent-up music ready to be aired.”
Seckou remembers waking up that morning thinking, “I’m actually going to be writing today. Oh my God! After all this lockdown, all the travel restrictions all over the world. But I’m looking forward to going there and being creative.”
The lyrics express the Sunday feeling: ‘Today I won’t work,’ go the lyrics, which are sung in Wolof. ‘Today, I feel like someone who will never work again in his life. So, I’ll just make the best possible use of this day, which is special for me.’
Musicians: Catrin Finch on harp; Seckou Keita on kora, vocals; Matthew Denton on violin;
Alice Howell on violin; Annie Pullar on violin; Eoin Schmidt-Martin on viola; Lucy Morgan on viola; Emma Denton on cello; and Claire Whitson on double bass.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.