Lamine Touré and Group Saloum

Amadou Lamine Touré comes from a long line of griots, a caste of musicians and oral historians among the Wolof people of Senegal. Founded by griot percussionist Lamine Touré, Group Saloum fuses Senegalese mbalax with elements of jazz, funk, reggae, and Afrobeat. The group performs original mbalax music highlighted by the infectious rhythms of Touré's sabar drums, drawing upon the collective creativity of some of Boston's most talented musicians. The band's self-titled first album is available online from Amazon.com and calabashmusic.com. Group Saloum is comprised by Lamine Touré (bandleader; sabar percussion and vocals); Babacar Seck (percussion); Malick Ngom (percussion); Michael Lewis (drums); Max Gerl (bass); Albino Mbie (guitar); Patty Tang (keyboards); Krista Speroni (vocals); Lihi Haruvi (saxophone).