For his new album Teller of Tales: The State of Us (Dox Records), drummer and composer Yoràn Vroom turns to Ségou, Maryse Condé’s novel about generations, migration and the African diaspora. Based on this novel he wrote new compositions for his Group of Friends, a six-piece line-up that includes two percussionists, Yariv Vroom and Fantison Araby O’Bryan, and Itai Weissman on EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument).

Vroom has performed with major names such as Frank McComb, Ed Motta, Snarky Puppy, Candy Dulfer and Benjamin Herman. Since 2021 he has focused mainly on his own work, which produced the 2023 album A Forgotten Story. This project, his Group of Friends, is his way of offering social commentary, as he told NRC.

‘He has complete command of the blend of kaseko, jazz and West African rhythms’ (NRC).