Yermande Family is a Senegalese supergroup formed by master *sabar* percussionist, composer, arranger and *griot* Aba Diop. The Yermande Family consists of *tama* player Samba Ndokh on the talking drum, “The Jimi Hendrix of kora” Noumoucounda Cissoko on *kora*, a 21-stringed African harp, Zeyna Ngom on vocals and Jason Hosier on guitar. “Yermande” is a Wolof language word that means to have a good heart that wishes for all people to be treated like family.
**For this event they will be joined by John Medeski!**
This groundbreaking group interweaves the ancient griot storytelling traditions with Sufi mysticism and other influences. The unique combination of West African and western instruments creates a conversation between tradition and modernity, east and west.
Master percussionist, composer, and arranger Aba Diop is a proud bearer of the *griot* lineage: the esteemed healers, historians, and poets of their culture for over a thousand years. Rooted in the sacred traditions of his father, who devoted his life to *Ndups*— healing ceremonies powered by rhythm and melody—Aba brings the restorative power of music to a global stage. His compositions even draw on the medicine songs of his grandmother, a singer and healer whose voice guided countless ceremonies. Aba bridges his Senegalese roots with universal traditions of healing through sound. His performances reflect music’s ability to inspire connection and renewal. Aba has collaborated with renowned artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, John Medeski, Yussef Dayes, and Youssou N’Dour.
“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 Medekski
“Get ready, America. Aba Diop, one of the hottest and most in-demand sabar percussionists out of Dakar, Senegal, has landed …” —Afropop Worldwide
“Outstanding from the very first beat” — PopMatters
**Live visuals by B.A. Miale!**
ABOUT SABAR
It is said that *sabar* drums were used by the village *griots* to communicate between towns several miles away. If a doctor was needed, the call would go out. The rhythm would move from village to village until a doctor was found and was sent along. Sabar is still a way to mark important events and to gather people together.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
The percussion sounds are very much a language which communicates messages of healing and praise: the call-and-response stories and codes of thousands of years of oral tradition. Rhythmically the music is influenced by traditional West African polyrhythms, the modern, Latin-influenced syntax of Senegalese pop music known as *mbalax*, and Aba’s own original compositions. Melodically you hear the Sufi-influenced hovering microtonal singing and *maqam* scales accompanying the elastic, improvisational guitar styles found in rock and jazz.