Amadou Diagne, Cory Seznec

Amadou Diagne from Senegal and French-American Cory Seznec first met whilst busking on the streets of Bath in 2007. Both multi-instrumentalist, singers and composers, they discovered a strong musical connection that planted the seeds of a future collaboration in their minds. Touki is the Wolof word for Travel, Wolof being one of the main languages spoken in Senegal. For Amadou and Cory, Touki refers to the travelling with music that brought them together and finds expression in the eclectic, exciting, syncopated and poly-rhythmic dynamic between the two musicians as they write and perform, creating music that seeks to find common ground and surprises.

Cory Seznec: somewhere between musical wanderer and uncertified ethnomusicologist, he brings his background of American old time, bluegrass, New Orleans finger style guitar and claw hammer banjo. He is a member of absurdo-spiritualist world roots group Groanbox and Damakase, an Ethio-groove band with Ethiopian musicians Endris Hassen and Misale Legesse.

Amadou Diagne has deep roots in the Griot music traditions of West Africa through a long family line of percussionists and traditional praise singers. A self-taught kora player and guitarist, he has developed a unique and intricate style to accompany himself which draws on his skills as a percussionist. Amadou is a former member of L’Orchestra National du Senegal with which he performed regularly as a percussionist for some of the top west African stars in concerts and on television as well being a busy session musician on the vibrant Dakar music scene.