They had never met before this first trip to Montreal. Yet, during Friday night’s musical dialogue in the kora language, Senny Camara and Zal Sissokho seemed to have known each other for years. This rapport, tinged with respect—Senny used the term “Master” when addressing Zal—demonstrated the mutual admiration between the two artists. They exchanged smiles from time to time, whispering words in Wolof between songs, like a father advising his daughter.
Despite the snowstorm outside, time seemed to stand still inside Club Balattou, creating a feeling of floating. This contrast made us savor the present moment even more, knowing what awaited us outside.
Let’s start with their outfits: Zal, all in white, with his signature black hat; Senny, also all in white, wearing an outfit from her mother’s home region, with touches of green. Even her chair matched her outfit. Absolutely stunning!
The two musicians interacted with their audience, sometimes playing the role of journalist when they asked each other questions. Senny took the opportunity to share her connection with the calabash even before she took up the kora. It was therefore predestined!
“The first part will be more traditional, we will go to the Mandinka Empire,” Zal informs us, while several of his students were in the room.
And then, in the following song, we discover Senny’s piercing and powerful voice, her smile lighting up the room. She sings mainly in Wolof, with occasional passages in English, and places humanity at the heart of the themes she explores in her songs. Sometimes Zal accompanies her on vocals, sometimes he simply plays his kora, plucking the strings in a unique way that only he knows how.
Between songs, they tune their instrument. “My kora is cold,” Senny jokes. Indeed, this is the kora virtuoso’s first time in Montreal, and she will take the opportunity to play several other dates across the country with Zal.
They alternate, sometimes Zal plays a piece from his repertoire and then it’s Senny’s turn to pick from her own, notably playing several pieces from her most recent album Yéné, released in 2024.
“Everything that is happening in the world right now, we had warnings before but we didn’t pay attention,” she said, introducing Missal, also in Yéné album.
Zal, in turn, shared with us a song in which he pays tribute to his father who has passed away, telling us anecdotes from his many stays in Senegal and the precious time he spent with him.
Together, they managed to get the room singing along to the song Yéné, before finishing with Niit, which means Human in Wolof.
And the cherry on top of the Sundae was the participation of the musician Lasso Sanou who came to close the evening with his flute, in the middle of the two koras.
That’s how we returned home in the storm, but with our hearts full of warmth.
