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Dhafer Youssef: Birds Requiem

By Glenn Astarita
February 7, 2014
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Track review of "Blending Souls & Shades"

Tunisian oud maestro

Dhafer Youssef

oud

" data-original-title="" title="">Dhafer Youssef imparts a holistic world music vista, encompassing jazz, rock and spiritual inclinations while retaining the core Arabic modalities on the aurally picturesque Birds Requiem. And his chant-like, resonating vocals entwine mystical attributes with near-flawless control amid passages that induce an impression of sacred exchanges with a higher entity.

Blending Souls & Shades touches your heart, emanating from Youssef's sprawling vocals, executed with conviction and soulfulness, followed by trumpeter

Nils Petter Molvaer

trumpet
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Nils Petter Molvaer's spiraling lyricism, leading the band into a mid-tempo rock groove. Here, Youssef's deft oud work conjoins with guitarist

Eivind Aarset

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Eivind Aarset's succinct chord voicings as they stagger the pulse atop drummer Chander Sardjoe's thick back beats. But the guitarist turns up the heat, casting an edgy outlook as the ensemble soars to a zenith towards the end, and dovetails a buoyant Arabic melody into the finale. Hence, this piece and others transcend the customary persuasions of world music, mainly due to the seamless coalition of multiple Eastern and Western inferences. On the ensemble-based pieces no particular genre outweighs the other, bearing a multifarious production that uncovers a consortium of unforeseen surprises.

Learn more about our star rating system

Personnel

Dhafer Youssef

oud

Dhafer Youssef: oud, vocals; Husnu Senlendirici: clarinet; Nils Petter Molv?r: trumpet; Aytac Dogan: hanun; Eivind Aarset: electric guitar, electronics and second ear; Kristjan Randalu: piano; Phil Donkin: double bass; Chander Sardjoe: drums.

Album information

Title: Birds Requiem | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Okeh

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Dhafer Youssef Concerts

Sep 17 Wed

Dhafer Youssef in Athens - Dora Stratou Theatre

Dora Stratou Theatre
Athina, Greece

Sep 19 Fri

Dhafer Youssef @ Festival Arabesques, Montpellier 2025

Domaine D'o - Theater And Shows
Montpellier, France

Oct 3 Fri

Dhafer Youssef

Bozar
Bruxelles, Belgium

Oct 4 Sat

Dhafer Youssef

De Doelen
Rotterdam, Netherlands

Apr 23 Thu

Dhafer Youssef

De Oosterpoort
Groningen, Netherlands

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