Touki: Right of Passage

The music of Amadou Diagne and Cory Seznec: journeying together

A June 2020 Music Eye video interview and "Tirailleur" from the album

A chance encounter between buskers in the streets of Bath, England more than a decade ago has led to a new 13 track album released in May 2020 from the collaboration of Senegal's Amadou Diagne, percussionist, guitarist and songwriter now resident in Bath, and Cory Seznec, French American guitarist, based not far outside of Paris. With beautiful guitar, percussion rhythms and songs from both Amadou and Cory, some in the Wolof language of Senegal and some in English. You need to respect and savour this music with some "me" time.

In the past, Africa had its own significant Empire's including Mali stretching from Timbuktu to the Senegal coast, one of the richest and biggest in the Medieval centuries; we know much about them due to Islamic scholars and also the musical and aural storytelling of the Griots who passed the knowledge and history through generations; Griot continue throughout West African countries and Amadou carries this musical storytelling tradition with him - music and rhythm is in his being... Right of Passage reflects both of their personal journeys, and indeed Cory also spent some years in Ethiopia so he knows a bit about the rhythm of life.

Hear the Album at: Touki.bandcamp.com