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Out of his tree >> Youssou Seck sings the Baobab Électrique by RUPERT BOTTENBERG
Seck's problem was a familiar one. Although he comes from a long line of griots--musicians and poets--Seck's family saw a safer (and far less exciting) future for him than the musical path he was itching to walk. "My father is a fonctionnaire--in administration. He never wanted me to do music. He wanted me to go to school. My only way of expressing my art was through my clothes. When I put on my tie, I put it on my knees. I liked having a cane." Fed up and frustrated, Seck finally found his ticket out. Literally. "One week before coming here, I didn't know I would. I had no idea where I would end up. For seven years I did everything I could to leave Senegal, because I couldn't handle it anymore. A friend called me from Dakar, saying he wanted to help me out. A week later he had found me a visa for Canada. Really, I wanted to go to the U.S. When I got here, I requested a visa for the U.S., and they told me I had to get that in Senegal. So I was stuck here." Seck quickly warmed to this town, especially after seeing what he might have gotten himself into. "A year after arriving, I went down to New York for a week's stay. I came back after three days! I freaked out, packed my bags and returned to Montreal. When I had left for New York, Montreal was huge! But when I got back, I said, 'Where's Montreal?' I couldn't see the buildings anymore--they had become so small!" It's a small town, sure, but that only made it easier to find a niche. After bouncing around various local worldbeat acts, including the Juno-winning Takadja, Seck had hooked up with a strange assortment of characters: Arnold Ludvig, a Danish bassist with a taste for jazz and prog rock; Bruno Rouyère, a local guitarist on the blues and reggae tip, and Nathalie Dussault, a Québécoise with the distinction of being the first Canadian to master the kora, a complex African string instrument. That the kora is traditionally played by men makes her accomplishment that much more impressive. Seck sewed the mix together with his energetic guitar-playing and singing in French and his native Wolof. "My only problem now is to put my music in one section. To say it's jazz, or blues... for me, it's just music. I don't know where the inspiration comes from. But it's all my songs, my compositions. So my music comes from life." At Upstairs tonight, Thursday, December 17, 10pm, $5, and at Barbazar (5011 Parc), Saturday, December 19, 10pm, free
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"The symbols of Senegal are the baobab tree and the lion," says Youssou Seck, when queried on the reason he named his band Baobab Électrique after the fat-trunked trees of Africa. "Also, there was a band in Senegal called Baobab, when I was little. During my crazy days in Senegal, it was really the leader of that band, Issa Cisskho, who encouraged me. When everyone was saying, 'Youssou is crazy, Youssou is crazy,' it was only he who understood me. He's now the saxophonist for Youssou N'Dour."