The Los Angeles-based Senegalese percussionist and composer Aba Diop has established himself as one of the most original figures on the contemporary Afro-jazz scene. His recent international tour confirms the power of the sabar, the traditional Senegalese drum, as an instrument of global dialogue between Africa and the world.
Descended from a long line of griots, guardians of oral history, Diop inherits a tradition that he transforms into a sound experience. In his performances, the sabar ceases to be a simple accompaniment and becomes the protagonist: each beat seems to tell a story, summon spirits or invoke collective memory.
His musical approach naturally fuses Senegalese polyrhythm with jazz improvisation and contemporary harmonies. On this basis, Diop invites other musicians - traditional singers, instrumentalists and urban creators - to dialogue without hierarchies, in a space where percussion marks the spiritual pulse.
During his 2025 tour, the artist presented new pieces that reinterpret the rhythms of the sabar from a cosmopolitan point of view. In them, the echoes of ancestral Dakar coexist with the creative energy of Los Angeles, tracing a bridge between roots and modernity.
More than a drum virtuoso, Aba Diop emerges as a contemporary storyteller of African identity. His music, full of intention and memory, shows that the sabar can transcend borders and become a universal language, capable of healing, celebrating and uniting.
Source: abadiopyermandefamily.com; allafrica.com