YAROU

Following the exuberant debut single “Aba Ñew Na!,” master sabar drummer Aba Diop and his intercontinental ensemble The Yermande Family return with a deeply resonant second track: “Yarou” (“Respect”), now available to stream and pre-save. The song is taken from the group’s upcoming debut album Family, out August 29, 2025, a project that bridges Senegalese griot traditions with global improvisational music in a way that’s both rooted and revolutionary.

“Yarou” opens with a simple, powerful gesture: the voice of Diop’s three-year-old son, Ahmed Diop, calling listeners to attention. “Why did I have my son sing first? Because I want him to understand the importance of being respectful in this world,” says Diop. Built on one of Diop’s original sabar rhythms, the track builds momentum with layers of tama (talking drum), kora, and guitar, creating a joyful, energetic groove that honors respect as a foundational human value.

Legendary keyboardist John Medeski, who appears throughout Family, contributes his unmistakable musical voice on “Yarou,” adding a layer of depth and interplay. “I love how percussion forward it is,” Medeski says. “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.” That balance is at the heart of Family: a contemporary sound grounded in centuries of griot lineage.

The upcoming album Family is a global collaboration featuring artists from Senegal and the U.S., recorded in both Dakar and upstate New York. The music centers sabar, a sacred and healing rhythm tradition, placing it in dynamic conversation with jazz improvisation, ancestral storytelling, and intergenerational spirit. The Yermande Family includes Noumoucounda Cissoko (kora), Samba Ndokh (tama), Thierno Sarr (bass), Zeyna Ngom Diop (vocals), Jason Hosier (guitar), and more, united by Diop’s singular rhythmic vision.

“Yarou” is now streaming everywhere. Pre-save the single and pre-order the album to be among the first to experience the full spectrum of Family, a work of rhythm, respect, and cultural healing.