They may be called The Two, but they’ll be performing as a quartet on Monday night at Club Balattou as part of the 40th edition of the Nuits d’Afrique International Festival. Yannick Nanette and Thierry Jaccard were the original members of the duo, but along the way, Loris Martenet joined them, and just recently, a new member came on board. This latest member is a longtime friend of Yannick’s, and after 20 years without contact, they reconnected via Facebook a few years ago—and… the rest is history.
Unlike their first performance at Balattou several months ago, adding the keyboard was an excellent idea and breathed new life into their repertoire. Nanette is from Mauritius, Jaccard from Switzerland, and together they transport us to a world of “blues from the south, from the Indian Ocean,” as Nanette so aptly described it. Alluding to the various types of Creole languages around the world—including, in their view, Quebec Creole—several songs had titles with a French ring to them but in a modified form. For example, the title “Tiombo” actually means “Hang in there.”
There were several musical exchanges between Yannick and Thierry’s many guitars, almost spiritual rhythms inspired by sounds from Mauritius and the surrounding region, with percussion that took us in all directions. A banjo added a folk touch to the blues, with a triangle occasionally chiming in to round out the sound.
We were also celebrating Yannick’s 44th birthday that evening, and in fact, the birthday boy’s family was in the audience. Yannick’s sister even took the stage to sing a chorus with her brother—a tender moment that was greatly appreciated by the audience.
The song “Fam Couma Ou,” which means “a woman like you,” also went over well with the audience, who were struggling to resist dancing. The Two shift seamlessly from gentle to intense, transporting us at will into their world. The percussion helps create depth, and Yannick’s harmonica finds its place within it all, while the audience turns into a veritable choir on several occasions throughout the evening.
Another traditional instrument, the kayamb—a sort of wooden board similar to the one played on Réunion Island—was also featured in the show.
My neighbours, who are of Haitian descent, told me that they understood almost all the lyrics sung in Creole. At times, you could sense a trance-like atmosphere on stage, especially during Thierry’s intense solos, before the performance continued with moments of tenderness. “Mo ale” and “Lao”—a tribute to those who have passed away—were my favourites of the evening.
“I’m 44 today, but I remember when you were 33 and we performed at the Montreux Festival: It’s still just as much a pleasure to work with you,” Thierry confided amid the audience’s applause.
