SMALL ROOM IN DAKAR

Small Room In Dakar is an album born from moments of solitude and introspection in the heart of Senegal, West Africa. Far from home and immersed in a vibrant and distant culture that has long shaped his musical path, Ben Aylon, percussionist, composer, and long-time explorer of Senegalese music, found a space of quiet: a small room in Dakar, just a hundred meters from the ocean. Surrounded by the vibrant sounds of Senegalese life, he turned inward, and melodies began to surface.

This intimate space became more than a room. It was a sanctuary of creation, where solitude was not isolation, but fertile ground for inspiration. With the xalam, a traditional Senegalese string instrument, Ben composed music that emerged from stillness and searching, from the emotional depth found in being a stranger who slowly discovers a sense of closeness. Experiences, both enriching and difficult, are transformed into melodies that carry memory.

At his side is Roei Hermon, a pianist and multi-instrumentalist whose unconventional and minimalist approach allows the music to breathe slowly. Together, they shape an album of delicate textures and quiet intensity, an ambient journey that invites deep listening.

Through Small Room In Dakar, Ben offers listeners a space to reflect and reconnect. The music holds room for solitude - for the emotional distance that often arises during life’s more challenging moments, especially in our current times. Yet from that space can come movement, connection, and curiosity, a gentle flow back toward understanding and unity. This is a journey that begins within and gradually opens outward.