Benyoro

Benyoro is a veritable meeting place or point—which is what the Bamana word ‘Benyoro’ signifies—of Mandé music from Mali and American audiences in New York, where the six man ensemble took shape. Benyoro is a mélange of music with varied styles that are characterized above all by their brightness, buoyancy and inspiration. The whole ensemble is founded on the deep appreciation of “the music of Malian jelis (praise musicians),” together with “a [fervent] desire to modernize it.”

Benyoro is led by Sam Dickey, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and an ethnomusicologist, who is the convener/leader of the ensemble. According to Dickey, “our philosophy is to walk a line between the traditional and the modern,” as demonstrated in the following video for “Haidara Sirifo”: