ABOUT
At first glance, master sabar percussionist Aba Diop may seem like a “new arrival” on the global music stage—an unknown name out of Senegal suddenly appearing alongside luminaries like John Medeski and Yussef Dayes. But to call Aba new is to overlook an extraordinary lifetime of tradition, mastery, and devotion to the sabar drum. Born into an unbroken lineage of griots in Dakar, Senegal, Aba carries centuries of sacred musical knowledge in his hands.
Now joined by a powerhouse ensemble of fellow griot artists and global collaborators, Aba Diop & the Yermande Family’s full-length release Family doesn’t just introduce their sound, it affirms sabar as a rhythmic language that has shaped music across continents and centuries, and continues to shape what comes next. The group takes its name from the Wolof word “Yermande,” which means compassion, care for others, and deep respect for community. It pervades the music and performances in a tangible way; this music is medicine for our times.
Aba Diop is based in the U.S. today, but his soul lives in the ancestral rhythms of West Africa. He comes from generations of griots: poet-musicians entrusted with preserving culture, ethics, and spirit through rhythm and story. “My mother was griot. My father was griot. All of my grandparents were griots,” he says. “They gave us a good education, a good attitude, and they showed us how to carry ourselves with kindness and respect. I put all of that into the rhythms.”
Aba Diop & the Yermande Family is more than a band, it’s a collective bound by music, respect, and shared purpose. “We are all human,” Aba says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in Japan, America, or Senegal, the music unites us. And when we’re united, we become like a family, playing together, feeling together. That spirit, of caring for your elders, of supporting one another with kindness, that’s what we call Yermande.”
“As griots, we create quickly. When we record, we already have the idea, but the real magic happens in the moment. It’s the djinn, the spirits in the instruments, that come and guide us.”
—Aba Diop
Sabar rhythms, traditionally used for healing, prayer, and celebration, have rarely taken center stage in this way on a globally distributed album. Most often, they’re in the background of mbalax pop or folkloric accompaniment. But Aba Diop & the Yermande Family flips the hierarchy, placing sabar at the forefront as a lead voice in contemporary global music, alongside jazz improvisers and griot singers alike.
From a cultural standpoint, the project makes a bold statement: percussion is not support, it’s source. And this source has something urgent to say.
“Our percussion heals. There are rhythms we use in ceremony. There are rhythms that create a feeling of peace, that bring joy, that lead people to the light. When you hear our sabar, you forget your problems. That’s the power we carry.”
—Aba Diop
Aba Diop & the Yermande Family bridges continents, cultures, and generations, uniting Senegal’s master musicians with boundary-pushing artists in the United States. While the musicians come from different backgrounds, their emulsion is unified by a shared language of improvisation, deep listening, and high-level musicianship.
At the heart of Aba Diop & the Yermande Family is the dynamic interplay of sabar and tama, an intricate rhythmic language that drives the music forward. Woven around it is the lyrical conversation between guitar and kora, each responding to the other with fluid, improvisational grace. Anchoring it all is the deep, resonant bass, grounding the ensemble with warmth and power. The keys float above, adding a transcendent layer that lifts the sound into new dimensions, while the vocals, at once raw and refined, carry messages of spirit, joy, and ancestral memory.
“Musically and spiritually Aba Diop & the Yermande Family is as powerful and important as anything I have heard or been a part of. There is nothing like it. The freedom and spontaneity with which they approach recording is how I believe it should be and what I love. Always connected to the source of where music comes from and why we do it in the first place.”
—John Medeski
As Aba gains attention in the U.S., his work is beginning to shift public understanding of African percussion and its place in modern music. With performances, videos, and studio releases, he’s building a bridge: one that invites new audiences into the world of griot artistry, where rhythm is medicine, tradition is alive, and creative expression moves without borders.
In a world full of digital confusion, the rooted medicine in Aba’s music serves as a deeply analogue balm for the modern soul. In Family, that medicine flows freely. It’s an album made from love, made from sweat, made from spirit, and it speaks to anyone with yermande: a good heart that’s ready to listen.
THE ARTISTS
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ABA DIOP
LEAD, PERCUSSION, VOCALS
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NOUMOUCOUNDA CISSOKO
KORA, VOCALS
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JASON HOSIER
GUITAR
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SAMBA NDOKH
TAMA
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ZEYNA NGOM DIOP
VOCALS
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LAMP
MASTER ENGINEER