“Je suis né avec ça.”
”I was born with it.”

A griot’s griot, his father was griot, as was his father’s father, as was his mother’s father, and both his grandparents’ parents: wisdom-keepers of the talking drum. Even in Senegal, where Aba lives and works, this unbroken lineage is a rarity.

In the West African oral tradition, the griot holds the history and wisdom of the village. The griot knows praise poetry, stories, dances and songs that communicate many generations’ worth of knowledge. And the way those stories are told is often through sabar: a type of drum, a type of dance, and a type of ceremonial performance involving both.

A Lineage of Medicine Music

Like his father Malik Diop, a renowned sabar performer whose drumming was said to awaken all the djinn (genie spirits) who heard his irresistible rhythms, Aba’s dedication to the craft has centered on healing ceremonies. A living library of medicine songs encoded in both language and rhythm, he has performed thousands of times in service to the collective. As a member of the mystic Sufi order of the Baye Fall, he is a practitioner of “work as prayer” and spends much of his time seeding his earnings in the gardens of his community.

Rooted to Rise

As Aba’s reputation as a virtuosic player and riveting performer has grown, he has expanded his collaborations to include the vibrant electro-African beats of Guiss Guiss Bou Bess as their percussionist and has toured widely in Senegal, the African continent, and Europe. He is skilled in several kinds of percussion (including sabar, tama, djembe, bukabarabu and more) as well as genres of music including jazz, rock, electronic and classical. 

Equally comfortable and compelling in front of huge crowds at festivals like Womex, Transmusicales, and Africajarc, or with Yo-yo Ma when his Bach Project came to Dakar as he is in intimate ceremonial settings, Aba brings unparalleled musicianship and grounded soulfulness to each and every offering whether on local sand or world stage.

Current Projects and Dreams

Presently, Aba leads the band Aba Diop & the Yermande Family. Their debut album “Revolution Sabar” was released on May 3, 2024.

His work is available at abadiop.com and patreon.com/abadiop where his griot services can be accessed to support and chronicle his journey.

When he isn’t playing sabar, making sabar, practicing or recording, he spends his time in Senegal with his family and gazing lovingly at his drums.

—Text by Rachael Rice