Artists

"It's music that tethers Third World beats to First World technology, a thin cross-cultural membrane connecting the ancient with the modern, the sacred with the profane.” - Mojo Magazine

Islamic Sufism meets electric jazz in the music of Tunisian-born vocalist and oud virtuoso Dhafer Youssef.

The self-taught musician began singing at age five and soon also fell in love with the oud, a form of Arabic lute. Youssef describes the instrument as the sound of his roots: "If I'd been born in Africa I'd have been a drummer. In New York, a sax player. But I was born in Tunisia - I play the oud." His haunting baritone voice and jaw-dropping falsetto was described as "achingly beautiful" by The Guardian.

As a composer, Youssef juxtaposes intricate, Arabic-inspired melodies with jazz textures  and electronica, creating a sound that is both majestic and refined. He has recorded four albums, performed throughout Europe where he is now based and was a guest artist on Norweigan jazz artist Bugge Wesseltoft's album FiLM iNG.

This spell-binding musician's band is a truly global affair, with Japanese drummer Satoshi Takeishi, Canadian bassist Chris Jennings and Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski.

For a sneak preview of Dhafer Youssef's concert, check out the track "Wind and Shadows" from the album Divine Shadows, on the Wellington Jazz Festival jukebox.

Listen to Dhafer Youssef

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