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From Tunisia, Dhafer Youssef is widely considered the most inventive oud player today. In addition to being a consummate vocalist and prolific composer, he combines traditional Sufi music, world, and jazz influences with Arabic lyricism to create a spellbinding, sublime journey. Performing alongside piano, bass, and drums, Youssef makes his Boston debut touring in support of his new album, Diwan of Beauty and Odd, acclaimed by critics as “pure musical creation [that] becomes a reference point and enters the pantheon of classics.”
Released in September 2016, Diwan Of Beauty and Odd is a fusion of oriental influences and the urban groove of New York. Recorded in the legendary Sear Sound studio with some of the finest musicians of the New York jazz scene, including Aaron Parks on the piano, Ben Williams on the bass, Mark Guiliana on the drums, and Ambrose Akinmusire on the trumpet, Diwan Of Beauty And Odd features 11 compositions that explore the beautiful and the strange, transcending genres and the limits of simple meters. With this album, Youssef delivers a musical feat of intriguing complexity that remains infinitely beautiful and apprehensible.
Dhafer Youssef is credited for bringing the oud out of its traditional role and creatively confronting it with various musical genres from electronic music to jazz. His extraordinary career is punctuated by several influential performances and collaborations such as a duet with the legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain, a duet with Dave Holland, and a Digital’Africa project with the great kora master Ballake Sissoko and Eivind Aarset, among others. At the All-Star Global Concert on International Jazz Day 2015, Youssef was honored to perform a duo with Herbie Hancock and was accompanied by Wayne Shorter in his rendition of “Haystan Dance.” Youssef is also credited for his outstanding performance in the soundtrack of the film Black Gold, composed and conducted by James Horner in 2011. The latter invited Youssef to a new collaboration in 2012 for the soundtrack of The Amazing Spider-Man. Other film collaborations include Luna by Dave McKean and Gods and Kings by Ridley Scott, both in 2014. Constructed as a film soundtrack, Youssef’s 2013 album, Birds Requiem, was ranked among the ten best jazz albums in France and elsewhere, and earned him a spot on DownBeat Magazine’s list of “Best 20 male vocalists.” Birds Requiem has gone on to be performed by several orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra.
Born in 1967 in Teboulba, Tunisia, Dhafer Youssef comes from a long line of muezzins. At an early age, his grandfather initiated him to quranic recitals, and he began discovering the potential of his voice. Today, with seven studio albums and hundreds of world live performances to his credit, Youssef still remembers his first encounter with an audience when his recorded voice flowed from the top of the minaret in the call to prayer, an experience that remains an inspiration for him today.
World Music/CRASHarts presents the Boston debut of Dhafer Youssef on Friday, February 10, 8pm at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Tickets range from $28-$42, reserved seating. For tickets and information call World Music/CRASHarts at (617) 876-4275 or buy online at www.WorldMusic.org.
