Think Canary Islands (an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northwest African mainland). Think timple (a traditional five-string plucked string instrument native to the Canaries). And think Yone Rodríguez, a new generation Gran Canaria timplista, whose training (mentored by the late great José Antonio Ramos and many others), talent (since age 7) and mastery have made him one of today’s foremost exponents of his instrument. The timplista’s concerts, usually in the company of his faithful Trio mates Néstor García and Domingo Rodríguez, are known for being a meeting of different musical styles and cultures. When Yone plays the timple, African music beats in his strings, flamenco rhythms dance on his wood, jazz gently slides over his soundbox and, above all, the intensity of the Ocean can be felt in his playing.

Yone Rodríguez’s latest album, titled Semilla, features 12 pieces in which the musician from Agaete gathers the fruits of his musical experience and replants them in a journey that takes him from his roots to sounds he has been discovering over the course of a career. This live recording was nominated for a 2020 ‘Premios Canarios de la Música’ (Canaries Music Prize) after becoming a finalist as one of the three Best Albums of Roots Music released in the Canary Islands in the past two years.

Yone first performed for TD Sunfest audiences as part of the launch for the 2020 edition of our virtual festival Connected.