What is sabar percussion?
Sabar is a family of drums from Senegal, West Africa, and one of the most sophisticated percussion traditions on earth. A full sabar ensemble is made up of multiple drums of varying sizes, each with a distinct role and voice in the conversation. Played with one hand and one stick, sabar is the rhythmic backbone of Wolof culture, used in ceremony, healing, prayer, celebration, and rites of passage.

How old is the sabar tradition?
The sabar tradition stretches back centuries within the griot lineages of Senegal and the broader Senegambia region. Griots are the hereditary poet-musicians of West Africa, entrusted with preserving history, culture, and spirit through rhythm, song, and oral storytelling. The knowledge of sabar is passed down within families through direct transmission and lived practice. It is one of the oldest unbroken percussion traditions in the world.

What is a griot, and why does it matter?
A griot (also called a ngeweul in Wolof) is a hereditary keeper of cultural memory. Griots are historians, musicians, praise singers, and spiritual intermediaries, roles that have been held within specific family lineages for generations. To be a griot is not a career you choose; it is a lineage you are born into and a responsibility you carry. Aba Diop comes from an unbroken griot lineage in Dakar: his mother was a griot, his father was a griot, all of his grandparents were griots. That ancestral knowledge lives in his hands.

How is sabar different from other West African percussion traditions?
Most Western listeners are more familiar with the djembe, a drum associated with Guinea and Mali that is played with two hands. Sabar is specific to the Wolof people of Senegal and is played with a combination of one open hand and one thin stick, producing an extraordinary range of tones, from deep resonant bass to sharp, cracking highs. A full sabar ensemble functions almost like a language: the rhythms carry specific meanings, and master percussionists are essentially fluent speakers of a tonal dialect that takes a lifetime to learn. The two traditions are related but distinct, the way two spoken languages might share a root while sounding entirely different.

What role does sabar play in Senegalese culture today?
Sabar remains deeply alive in Senegalese daily life. It is played at weddings, naming ceremonies, religious celebrations, and community gatherings. Certain rhythms are tied to specific occasions or spiritual purposes, some are used in healing, some call people to dance, some honor specific Sufi orders. In popular Senegalese music, sabar forms the rhythmic foundation of mbalax, the country's dominant popular genre. But in most global contexts, sabar has remained in the background. Part of what Aba Diop & the Yermande Family is doing is bringing it to the foreground.

Who is Aba Diop?
Aba Diop is a master sabar percussionist and griot born and raised in Senegal. He comes from generations of griots and began learning sabar as a child, absorbing the tradition through direct transmission from his family. He is now based in the United States, where he performs, teaches, and records, working to share the culture and spiritual depth of sabar percussion with new audiences around the world. He has collaborated with artists including John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood) and Yussef Dayes, and his ensemble Aba Diop & the Yermande Family has toured the U.S., performing at venues including Joe's Pub in New York City, The Freight in Berkeley, and the BYU Bravo! Series in Utah.

What is the Yermande Family?
The Yermande Family is the ensemble Aba Diop formed to share the culture of Senegalese griot musicians with the world. The name comes from the Wolof word yermande, which means compassion, care for others, and deep respect for community. The group brings together master griot artists from Senegal alongside global collaborators, including Noumoucounda Cissoko on kora, Samba Ndokh on tama, Zeyna Ngom Diop on vocals, Thierno Sarr on bass, and Jason Hosier on guitar. Together they place sabar at the center of contemporary global music as a living, lead voice.

What is the album Revolution Sabar?
Revolution Sabar is the first album from Aba Diop & the Yermande Family, and the seed from which the whole project grew. Recorded in Senegal, it was the first time this particular group of musicians came together, and the chemistry it captured set the course for everything that’s followed. The album begins with Aba’s sabars. Complex, original percussion breaks of his own creation form the foundation, and from there each musician built outward, layering their voices into the rhythm. It is available on all streaming platforms and on 12" vinyl through the band's shop.

What is the album Family?
Family is the Yermande Family's second full-length album, featuring special guest John Medeski on keys, organ, piano, and Mellotron. Recorded between Dakar and upstate New York, it is a celebration of sabar tradition, griot artistry, improvisation, and intergenerational spirit. It is available on all streaming platforms and on 12" vinyl through the band's shop.

Can I take a sabar workshop or lesson with Aba?
Aba is not currently offering workshops, but something special is in the works: a dedicated offering for percussionists who want to go deep. Sign up for the newsletter to be the first to know when it's available.

Do you sell sabar drums?
We don't, for various reasons that range from the mystical to the practical. In the future we hope to be able to offer drums to interested buyers. If interested, sign up here and we will let you know when this is possible.