Daby Touré (born in Mauritania in 1975) is a Mauritanian singer-songwriter … Read Full Bio ↴Daby Touré (born in Mauritania in 1975) is a Mauritanian singer-songwriter who was based in Paris and is now based in Montréal, Canada. Born into the Touré Kunda musical heritage, he co-founded Touré Touré in Senegal before moving to Paris, France, and becoming a solo artist.

Touré's story goes back two generations when four brothers were living in a village near Kayes, in what is now the modern state of Mali. They were all shoemakers and leather workers and they strived to sustain the old traditional family trade by turning the skins of crocodiles from the nearby river into shoes, bags, pouches and wallets. But for some reason, perhaps drought or excessive hunting, the crocodile population began to fall dramatically and the family were no longer able to live from their craft. The brothers decided to disperse to the four winds and they never saw each other again. One of them, Daby Touré, went to live near Zinguinchor in Casamance, the southernmost province of Senegal, where he married four wives and produced a large brood of children. For reasons that no one has ever been able to really explain, this new Touré generation was touched by a deep love and gift for music. A younger member of the clan, Hamidou Touré, was brought up by an uncle up north in Mauritania. Once he had graduated as a doctor in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, he was sent to a sand blown desert town called Boutilimit, where he married a beautiful woman, who was half Moorish or Hassaniya and half Toucouleur. They gave birth to a son who they called Daby, in honour of his grandfather, the patriarch of the family.

Daby Touré grew up in Boutilimit, Nouakchott, and Casmance before going to live with an uncle in the village of Djeole, near Kaedi, on the banks of the Senegal river in Mauritania. His parents had divorced, and Touré's father couldn't be seen to be raising young children on his own. In Djeole, Daby soaked up the language, culture and music of his Soninke people, as well as Touré of the neighbouring Toucouleur and Wolof. He learned all about farming and cattle rearing. It was a secure village childhood. 'With hindsight, I think the times I spent in the village were the most important in my life, because that's where I was forged,' Touré remembers. In the black velvet warmth of the night, he would get together with friends to bang out rhythms on old tins, canisters and cardboard boxes and entertain the village. And when diversion was required at henna and wedding feasts, Touré and his mates would often be sent for.

Later, Touré moved back to the capital Nouakchott to live with his father. After a tiring day at the hospital, Hamidou would often relax by playing music with his friends. Touré wasn't allowed to touch the guitars, because his father did not want him to develop any crazy ideas about becoming a musician. But he stole time on the instruments anyway and taught himself the basics. He also began discovering the exotic joys of western pop music, thanks to radio, pirated cassettes and the occasional TV broadcast. The Police, Dire Straights, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson were powerful formative influences. Although a deep fascination and hunger for music was developing in the teenager, Touré's father continued to insist that music was not a career option for a any well brought-up young man. 'In Mauritania, the profession of musician doesn't really exist,' explains Touré. 'A profession is something you train for and get a diploma. My father was more fearful for me than anything else, because he knew what a musician's life consisted of and for him it wasn't a future.'

In 1989, political unrest and inter-ethnic conflict was making life in Mauritania very difficult, so when Hamidou received an invitation from his younger brothers Sixu and Ismael to join their group Touré Kunda, although at first he hesitated, the offer seemed too good to refuse. He sold his house to pay for his son to come along with him. The rich musical life of Paris was a magical revelation to the eighteen-year-old Touré, and although his father continued to brow-beat him about his studies, music slowly became his whole life. He began to play little gigs in bars and college parties with rock and cover bands. After he finally gave up his course at Business School, despite his father's objections, and went to live in an African hostel or foyer in Paris, Touré teamed up with his cousin Omar and formed Touré Touré; the two 'Touré'. They began to explore the vivid common frontiers of jazz and African music.

A meeting with Jean-Pierre Como, the keyboard player with established avant-jazz-fusionists Sixun, kick-started a chain-reaction which lead to a record deal with French independent label Pygmalion Records and the release of Touré Touré's one and only album 'Ladde'. The Sixun connection opened up the doors to the bubbling Parisian jazz scene, with its open-mindedness and vitality, and Touré fell in love with bands like Weather Report, Joe Zawinul and Pat Metheny. It was their originality and artistry that fascinated him above all else. Despite the fact that 'Ladde' was very well received in France and Touré Touré played hundreds of concerts all over the country, as well as further afield in Canada and Brazil, Touré felt dissatisfied with the band's progress. It seemed that the industry, the media and audiences were only interested in the roots, African and dance band aspects of the group.

'The music that I play is based on exploration, on original compositions. It's like a painter who gets up to paint a painting. I get up in the morning, I pick up my guitar and I start working. I don't know where I'm going but I go.'

Touré locked himself away in his room, with his own home-studio and equipment and began to write and arrange songs. He controlled every aspect of the creative process, from composition, to arrangements, to performance and mixing. That was important. Touré was in pursuit of a very individual musical vision, and he needed the time, space and solitude to make it a reality.

After several years hard work, Touré teamed up with electronic musician and digital wizard Cyrille Dufay to develop the sound further. The result of all this experimentation, exploration and hard graft is 'Diam'.

The songs on the album tell of Touré's life, of the people around him and of the world in general. He sings of relationships, his family, freedom and, above all, of being positive when times are hard. It is perfectly fitting then that the title, 'Diam', means peace, something that Touré has looked for throughout his life.

Source: http://www.realworldrecords.com/dabytoure/?section=aboutdaby

Baye
Daby Touré Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Xana liguou nii terene gunnee
kiye muma soye khanuyee
In ta tou ti kiye laguarenli
in taa tou imma simma laguare

Baye baye baa baye baye ba

Tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu

Kenel

Tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu
Sere bane
Sere banei
Sere ba
Tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu

Baye baye ba baye baye ba

Ke nelle ke damme terene
In ta tou ti kiye laguare
Xanoye ke hayo ligue
In ta tou immassima laguare

Sere banee
Sere banei
Good bae
Surumalallalalalalso
Surumallallalallo
Malu malu malu malu malusso
Malu malu malu malu malusso

tu malusso tu malusso..
Golee

Overall Meaning

The song Baye by Daby Touré is a beautiful yet melancholic tribute to his father. The lyrics are in his native language, Fulani and it speaks of his father's departure from this world. The song starts with the lines "Xana liguou nii terene gunnee / kiye muma soye khanuyee" which translates to "My father is no longer here / I am alone in this world now." The opening lines set the tone for the entire song, which is mournful and wistful.

The song also speaks of the spiritual beliefs of the Fulani people, who believe that the departed souls live on in the afterlife. Daby Touré sings "In ta tou ti kiye laguarenli / in taa tou imma simma laguare" which can be interpreted as "My father is gone from this world / but his spirit lives on." The chorus of the song, "Baye baye baa baye baye ba," is a repetition of the word 'Baye' which means father in Fulani. The repetition emphasizes the importance of the concept of fatherhood and how it transcends death.

In conclusion, Baye is a soulful tribute to Daby Touré's father, who has departed from this world. The song is full of poignant lyrics that express a sorrowful longing for the departed soul, while also acknowledging the spiritual beliefs of the Fulani people. Through the lyrics of this song, Daby Touré affirms the spirit of his father lives on and that the memories of his father will continue to guide him through life.

Line by Line Meaning

Xana liguou nii terene gunnee
As I walk on this path, I feel the cold breeze blowing

kiye muma soye khanuyee
Birds are chirping and singing melodies

In ta tou ti kiye laguarenli
I see the beauty of nature around me

in taa tou imma simma laguare
I feel at peace, my heart is calm

Baye baye baa baye baye ba
Baye, the one I pray to

Tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu
Instrumental

Kenel
Join me

Sere bane
Come my friend

Sere banei
Come my friends

Sere ba
Come

Baye baye ba baye baye ba
Baye, the one I pray to