Yoràn Vroom’s Group of Friends

Drummer and bandleader brings new work where Afro-grooves and adventurous jazz come together.

For his new album Teller of Tales: The State of Us (Dox Records), drummer and composer Yoràn Vroom draws inspiration from Ségou, the novel by Maryse Condé about generations, migration, and the African diaspora. He wrote new compositions about it for his Group of Friends, a six-man formation including two percussionists in the form of Yariv Vroom and Fantison Araby O’Bryan, and Itai Weissman on the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument).

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

'He perfectly masters the blend of kaseko, jazz, and West African rhythms' (NRC).

Itai Weissman EWI, Timothy Banchet piano/keyboards, Nathaniel Klumperbeek bass, Yoràn Vroom drums, Yariv Vroom percussion, Fantison Araby O’Bryan Mandinka-percussion