Today, Aba Diop & the Yermande Family release Family, their new album that places the sacred sabar percussion of Senegal front and center in a vibrant fusion with global collaborators. The album is out now on all streaming platforms and features the unmistakable sound of John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood), who weaves shimmering organ, piano, and Mellotron textures throughout, lifting the ensemble into new, transcendent realms.

Recorded between Dakar and upstate New York, Family unites master griot percussionist Aba Diop with Senegalese and U.S.-based artists in a celebration of tradition, improvisation, and intergenerational spirit. The self-titled ensemble builds bridges through music, honoring the Wolof ethos of Yermande, which means compassion, community and care.

“Aba Ñew Na!” (“Aba Is Here!”), the album’s opening single, introduced Diop’s arrival with joyful call-and-response percussion. And “Yarou” (“Respect”), the second release, begins with a moving vocal from Diop’s three-year-old son Ahmed, reminding us that learning about respect early on sets the tone for how we move through the world. “Why did I have my son sing first? Because I want him to understand the importance of being respectful in this world,” Diop explains.

John Medeski elaborates on his experience: “I love how percussion-forward it is. I really think it’s unlike anything out there. It has the song forms and arrangements of more pop stuff but the raw power and sound of traditional music.”

The Yermande Family includes Noumoucounda Cissoko (kora), Samba Ndokh (tama), Thierno Sarr (bass), Jason Hosier (guitar), Zeyna Ngom Diop (vocals), and young Ahmed Diop, linking generations with laughter and tradition.

Join Aba Diop & the Yermande Family on their U.S. tour, starting September 5, as they bring the album’s rhythmic healing to stages across the country.