Dhafer Youssef - Bremme + Hohensee Konzertagentur english

Dhafer Youssef – Photo: Sabine Hauswirth

GLOBETROTTER PAR EXCELLENCE

Dhafer Youssef lives sometimes in Tunis, sometimes in Vienna, then in Paris or in New York. The planet seems to be his home, musically anyway. Sometimes one of his records is a prostration to American jazz, and the next shows his deep connection to Indian music. Sometimes he is “Electric Sufi” and other times he spreads out the “Diwan of Beauty and Odd”. Dhafer Youssef is rooted in the Arabic music and singing tradition of his North African homeland Tunisia. He plays the Arabic short-necked lute oud, sings, composes and is an eloquent entertainer at his concert performances.

Because he could not freely indulge his experimental passion for music at home, he left Tunisia at the age of 19 and emigrated to Vienna. His exposure to Western music and jazz soon made him a sought-after fellow musician; he was able to perfect his instrumental skills and constantly listen to new music, which he absorbed like a sponge.

Dhafer’s childhood was marked by Arabic music. The way he sang, the phrasing of the music, the leading of the melody – all this shows that. It was also then that he learned to love and play the oud. He even started studying at the conservatory in Tunis, but this education was too traditional for him. Without further ado, he left his country “for the sake of music” in the direction of the culture of the Occident.

Dhafer Youssef is one of those jazz musicians from the Arab world who have managed to reconcile very divergent musical traditions. The arc spans from US-American jazz and its European forms to Turkey and traditional Indian music. Dhafer Youssef draws from all these influences and creates sensual melodies and intricate rhythmic structures of often enchanting beauty. With his driving beats, his invitations to dance and his openness to electronic sounds, he has made his music highly attractive to a young audience.