Aba Diop is a master percussionist, composer and arranger from Senegal, West Africa. He comes from over a thousand years of unbroken griot lineage: the prestigious and hereditary wisdom-holders, historians, poets, and healers of their culture.

When he is not hand-making his sabar drums, he is engaging rapt listeners at theaters and festivals with his ensemble as well as other master musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, John Medeski, Yussef Dayes, Youssou N’Dour and many more—offering the heartbeat of our shared origins to every listener.

Aba Diop & the Yermande Family is a percussion-forward global music ensemble that consists of Aba Diop (sabar, vocals), Noumoucounda Cissoko (kora, vocals), Samba Ndokh (tama), and Jason Hosier (electric guitar).

This groundbreaking group interweaves the griot storytelling traditions from thousands of years with Sufi mysticism and rock and jazz influences. The unique combination of West African and western instruments creates a conversation between tradition and modernity, east and west, acoustic and electric.

The overall effect is deeply mystical, uplifting, and undeniably dance-worthy.