Dhafer Youssef

Dhafer Youssef born November 19, 1967 in Teboulba , is a Tunisian composer , singer and oudist . He began his musical career at the age of ten by singing on the occasion of weddings in his native village. Noted for the quality of his voice, he gained a certain notoriety at the local level and was invited several times on Radio Monastir .He moved to Vienna ( Austria ) between 1989 and 1999 and since lives in Paris ( France ). His music is nourished by Sufi traditions , Arabic lyricism , multicultural influences and instrumentation from jazz and improvisation . This influence has been felt since his first opus where he plays in his own group called Ziryab, named after the famous Andalusian musician , then in his second three-title ( 1996 ) where he is illustrated by his vocalization, especially on the piece El Hobb el Hindi(The Indian Love), as well as in an album composed for a play in Vienna; we will particularly remember the title Galbi ala Galbak , a hymn to his mother. Among his notable collaborations are duets with Paolo Fresu , Nguyen Lê , Bugge Wesseltoft , Omar Sosa , etc.