Dhafer Youssef
A Tunisian oudist and singer with a heavenly voice, Dhafer Youssef links Sufi tradition with the great scenes of world jazz.
Dhafer Youssef, born on 19 November 1967 in Téboulba, Tunisia, grew up in a muezzin family and discovered the oud in self-taught. After beginning in Tunis, he moved to Europe, Vienna and then Paris, where he built a personal language between Sufi singing, oud and avant-garde jazz.
His albums "Malak" (1998), "Electric Sufi" (2001), "Abu Nawas Rhapsody" (2010) with Tigran Hamasyan and Mark Guiliana, and "Birds Requiem" (2013) and "Diwan of Beauty and Odd" (2016) at Okeh, put him among the most singular musicians of his generation. His voice, capable of spectacular flights, became his signature.
He collaborated with musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Zakir Hussain and Paolo Fresu, and performed from the Olympia in Paris at the biggest jazz festivals. After "Sounds of Mirrors" (2018) and "Street of Minarets" (2023), he published "Shiraz" in 2025, dedicated to his wife.
Biographie
Born on November 19, 1967 in Teboulba, Dhafer Youssef is a Tunisian oud player, singer and composer. His music links the Arabic tradition of the maqam to a jazz open to the world, carried by his voice and his oud. His album Streets of Minarets was released in 2023, followed by an international tour in 2024-2025.