We are proud to introduce the first edition of the Afropop Worldwide Living Room Sessions. This edition features Aba Diop and the Yermande Family, a band that blends Senegalese traditions--Wolof, Mande and more--in a thrilling ensemble presentation. The band was formed in Dakar, Senegal, but now has a second home in the U.S.. This session was recorded amid the band's tour to promote their 2025 album, Family.
Aba Diop is a master of the sabar drum, the beating heart of Senegal’s most popular dance music: mbalax. The percussive center of the Yermande Family is Diop’s fiery duo volleys with tama player Samba Ndokh, a veteran of Cheikh Lo’s band. Noumoukunda Cissoko on kora brings the Mande music element to the band, while griot vocalist Zeyna Ngom Diop delivers commanding lead vocals, often joined by Aba Diop and Samba Ndokh. Guitarist Jason Hosier, the one American in the band, has spent significant time learning guitar styles in Senegal, and it shows.
This is a band that can command every inch of a concert stage, with kinetic moves, dramatic dancing and irresistible ambiance. Here we find them in the at-home setting, seated, at ease and relaxed, but no less electrifying.
CREDITS
Aba Diop & the Yermande Family
Aba Diop: percussion
Noumoucounda: kora
Jason Hosier: guitar
Zeyna Ngom Diop: vocals
Samba Ndokh: tama
Executive producers: Sean Barlow, Sam Connor, Bec Stupak Diop
Produced and recorded by: Banning Eyre
Line Producer: Lynn Jones
Sound by: David Raymond
Photos by: Jessica Glass
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