“African music in America at its very finest! An all-star group.” – NPR’s Afropop Worldwide

In the Bamana language of Mali, Benyoro means meeting place, and that’s exactly what this group is. It’s about the meeting of traditional and modern instruments, African and American musicians, and centuries-old songs and modern arrangements.

Benyoro brings together members of diverse projects such as Toumani Diabaté’s Symmetric Orchestra, Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread, Toubab Krewe, and Peter Apfelbaum’s New York Heiroglyphics. The band members hail from exotic locales such as Mali, Martinique, and Wisconsin, but what brings them together is a shared love, respect, and understanding of the music of Malian jelis (praise musicians), as well as a desire to modernize it. Patrice Blanchard and Andy Algire form the core of the band on bass and drums, respectively. The addition of Idrissa Koné on taman (talking drum) and Luke Quaranta on djembe gives this rhythm section an unstoppable momentum, while kora (West African harp) player Yacouba Sissoko and guitarist Sam Dickey alternate between elegant accompaniments and blistering solos.

In Benyoro’s music, the sonorous, stately melodies of traditional jeliya (praise-singing) are sped up and reconfigured into infectious grooves, but even in the midst of all the movement, the reflective core of the music remains. With this meeting of meditative tradition and raucous dance music, Benyoro is a celebration of the communal and universal nature of West African music.

Started in 2011, Benyoro has performed at numerous venues and festivals including Manifestivus, the U.N. General Assembly, Brooklyn Bowl, Wesleyan University, City Winery, Joe’s Pub, Barbès, Rockwood Music Hall, Cameo Gallery, Sullivan Hall, and Shrine. In the process, they have shared billing with artists such as Steel Pulse, Marcus Miller, Diblo Dibala, Toubab Krewe, Zongo Junction, and Barika. They are currently finishing their debut album for release in June of 2014.