Aba Diop Trio

An unbroken ancestral line, a mesmerizing fusion of genres

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, 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.

Part of the Global Voices Music Series sponsored in part by the Elkins Foundation