Creating Musical Harmony Through Kinship

In African music, the name Toure resonates mightily. In the 1980s, the Senegalese band Toure Kunda helped make the sound of Afro-Pop global. As the hyphenated idiom suggests, the music fed off the inspiration of both traditional African sources and the international appeal of pop and soul music.

In the late ‘90s, two other musicians from the Toure clan, cousins Daby and Omar Toure, joined forces to create a new generational wave. Daby’s father was one in a line of musicians from the extended family who kept Toure Kunda a staple on the so-called world music scene.

As heard on the fine debut album “Ladde,” released last year on the Tinder label, the second generation of internationally known Toure musicians blends African sounds with elements from America. The musicians combine sweetly meshed vocal harmonies and infectious melodies with soulful, undulant rhythm tracks.

These days, the musicians are based in Paris, a central spot from which much of the best-known African music has spiraled to global acclaim. Still, their thoughts veer toward the homeland of Senegal and the neighboring West African country of Mauritania. The album’s title track is a bittersweet song about leaving Africa and missing families back home.

Daby Toure spoke recently from his home in Paris, where he has lived since his father took him there as an impressionable 19-year-old.

“When I came to Paris, I saw a lot of musicians,” he said. “I told myself, ‘Wow, it’s very good here for musicians.’ In my country, it’s very difficult to do music. In Mauritania, they do not have studios or producers or concerts.”

In addition to their famous family link, both Daby and Omar grew up in a music-rich atmosphere in Mauritania and Senegal.

“In this family, our grandparents sang all the time,” Toure said. “If they were making food in the kitchen or going to the supermarket, they sang all the time. Omar was born in Casamance [Senegal]. I was born in Mauritania. I would come to his house for holidays and I would see him there, and all the cousins. We played music a lot.”

Some of the first important musical influences for Daby and Omar came in the mail from relatives in Paris.

“In Mauritania, there were not many cassettes or records,” he said. “You listened to the radio, and that’s all. When our parents sent us cassettes or records, we were very happy. We were very influenced by Toure Kunda, and also by all the Motown musicians. And also, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Sting, the Police. We listened to that a lot. Additionally, we loved traditional music from Senegal and Mauritania.”

Soon after arriving in Paris, Daby Toure began playing with his own group, under the name Toure-Toure. With the arrival of Omar two years later, a new, stronger group identity came into play.

“When I saw him, I thought it was a good idea to make Toure Toure with him and me because our voices work very good together,” Toure said. “I told him ‘You must do it with me.’ And voila, we started together in 1993.”

Producer David Godvais heard them in a pub and they recorded “Ladde,” which has served as a calling card and a catalyst for an international reputation.

“We are very happy, because it’s very important for musicians to have a record,” Toure said. “Now, we have a chance to play in the United States and Europe, in Africa, everywhere.”

BE THERE

Toure-Toure performs Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Free admission; parking $5. (310) 440-4500.