As a boy, Dhafer Youssef's ear was already glued to the radio. He listened to everything he could receive. Jazz, pop, classical music and of course the folk and classical music of his native Tunisia. When Youssef later moved to Europe at the age of 19 (first to Vienna, nowadays he lives in Paris) to study at the conservatory, he brought all those influences with him. Ever since his first album
… (Malak, 1999), Youssef's music has been a musical kaleidoscope. Silent jazz from the ECM school can follow fierce percussion or a solo on the úd. A nice asset is Dhafer's voice with an admirable range. The high, flawless sounds of the 46-year-old musician are more than impressive. Dhafer Youssef is a unique artist who has been building a bridge between Europe and the Arab world for more than ten years. Together with renowned guests such as Nils-Petter Molvaer (trumpet), Eivind Aarset (guitar) and the Turkish clarinetist Hüsnü Senlendirici, he also does this on this seventh album. (PdK)more