Perhaps he is not the kind of musician you hear about that often; you won’t see his pictures on billboards, nor can you watch his video clips online (simply because there are none). And yet, Dhafer Youssef is one of the most significant and prominent musicians of the Arab world. A Tunisian musician who developed his interest in jazz music while studying at a religious school, Youssef later left Tunisia to start his musical career. He has lived in Europe since 1990, where he has focused on creating a new musical experience whereby old Sufi poetry is fused with jazz and oriental music.
Sufism is often defined as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam, yet it refers to a wide range of beliefs. There is some Sufi poetry where, surprisingly enough, you can read about the aesthetic of drinking wine, for example. It’s also a philosophy carried out by many scholars that influenced Youssef, such as al-Hallaj and Abu Nawas, to whom he dedicated one of his most successful ablums, Abu Nawas Rhapsody (2010).
Youssef mainly plays the oud, accompanied by his international orchestra, which usually consists of the following instruments: piano, flute, drums, contrabass, and a bass guitar. Besides the influence of diverse music styles, one of the most definitive characteristics of Youssef’s music is the abnormal singing techniques he uses. Quickly changing his vocal chords between flat and sharp (and sometimes very sharp), his singing style might be described as both weird, strange, and amazing by first time listeners. It’s this style of singing and his unique blend of genres that have made Youssef an internationally recognized star in the past few years.
As part of the tour to promote his new album, Birds Requiem, Youssef performed at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre on July 5th. The concert was nothing short of astounding. The convivial atmosphere was made even more engaging and fun because of Youssef’s humor, which could be described as awkward by some considering that he called himself “the bastard of God” many times during his performance.
Youssef also emphasized his connection with the city of Istanbul, and he dedicated the song “Sweet Blasphemy” to the Turkish author Elif Şafak because the song apparently was inspired by one of Şafak’s books.
One of the best moments during the show was when Youssef, along with the Turkish clarinetist Hüsnü Şenlendirici, performed what has become now a ritual at every live concert they do together: Hüsnü plays a note on the clarinet and sustains it while Dhafer sings a high note and gradually makes it higher and higher until the two sounds blend together leaving the audience wondering which is which!
In case you missed it…well you missed it, because there is only one Dhafer Youssef. But don’t worry, he will be back in Istanbul on May 7th 2015.
To get a taste of the experience, check out Youssef’s last concert in Izmir!
