Aba Diop & Jason Hosier with special guest John Medeski

Some musical partnerships feel inevitable, a convergence of voices so naturally aligned that the music seems to exist before anyone plays a note. That feeling comes alive when Aba Diop, Jason Hosier, and John Medeski take the stage.

The music starts with the collaboration of Aba Diop and Jason Hosier. Born into an unbroken lineage of griots in Dakar, Senegal, Aba carries centuries of sacred musical knowledge in his hands, and the sabar drum, historically a vessel for healing, prayer, and celebration, becomes a lead voice with something urgent to say. Jason Hosier meets that voice with a musician's intuition and fearlessness, and together they have built a creative language rooted in West African tradition which is alive with the improvisational spirit of jazz. 

For this special performance, they are joined by none other than John Medeski; pianist, organist, and one of the most adventurous voices in contemporary music, best known as a founding member of the celebrated trio Medeski Martin & Wood. Medeski is no stranger to this group's world: he appears on their recently released album Family, a recording that places the sabar drum at the forefront of a rich, cross-cultural conversation. His connection to this music goes deeper than collaboration:

“Musically and spiritually [this music] is as powerful and important as anything I have heard or been a part of. There is nothing like it. The freedom and spontaneity with which they approach [playing] is how I believe it should be and what I love. Always connected to the source of where nmusic comes from and why we do it in the first place.” —John Medeski

That belief, that music must remain tethered to its origins while staying free and alive in the moment, is the thread that binds all three artists together on this stage.

What Aba Diop, Jason Hosier, and John Medeski share is a belief that music has no borders. This is music made in the spirit of the griot which is alive and built to move people. As Aba himself puts it: "When you hear our sabar, you forget your problems. That's the power we carry." Come hear it for yourself.