ABA DIOP
Aba Diop is a master percussionist, vocalist and composer in an unbroken ancestral line of Senegalese griots: the traveling artists, wisdom-keepers and cultural lineage-holders foundational to African societies. Aba brings these lifeways spanning thousands of years into the 21st century through his complete mastery of the sabar – a traditional drum which Aba makes himself. His original compositions – soon to be released on his upcoming debut EP – reflect the incredible connections he has made throughout his life. You will hear elements of traditional West African music interweaving with jazz, folk, funk and more, all performed with viscerally compelling electricity.
PROGRAM SELECTIONS
ABA DIOP & JASON HOSIER
Aba Diop and Jason Hosier’s duo project blends West African sabar (drum) rhythms and vocals with jazzy, lyrical guitar melodies in an unexpected emulsion of polyrhythmic fusion. This unique collaboration is a conversation between tradition and modernity, between east and west, between acoustic and electric. Every listener is invited into the adventure unfolding within the songs, touching the deep earth of our common humanity.
Aba Diop: sabar drum, tama drum, vocals
Jason Hosier: guitar
ABA DIOP TRIO
The Aba Diop Trio (Aba Diop, Noumoucounda Cissoko and Jason Hosier) transmits a wholly new genre of West African sabar fusion music. Featuring the propulsive rhythms of Diop’s sabar drum percussion; the dulcet tones of Cissoko’s kora (a 21-stringed double-bridged African harp-lute); and the elastic fluidity of Hosier’s jazzy, meditative guitar riffs, this unique collaboration interweaves the griot storytelling traditions from thousands of years with Sufi mysticism and rock and jazz influences. The overall effect is a mesmerizing amalgam, tethered to an ancient impulse while offering a current—and deeply listenable—reflection of our shared humanity.
Aba Diop: sabar drum, tama drum, vocals
Jason Hosier: guitar
Noumoucounda Cissoko: kora, vocals