Dhafer Youssef – Sounds of Mirrors (Anteprima, 2018)
Seasoned Vienna-based Tunisian ud (lute) player, composer and vocalist Dhafer Youssef has been working for the past years on a variety of fusions, mixing Arabic ud with jazz and other musical forms. On Sounds of Mirrors, Dhafer Youssef invited famed Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain, fulfilling his dream of working with the acclaimed tabla player. He also recruited another colleague, Turkish clarinetist Hüsnü Şenlendirici.
The third guest of honor on Sounds of Mirrors is Norwegian jazz guitar virtuoso EivindAarset, who contributes atmospheric electric guitar and electronics.
Sounds of Mirrors is a reflective album of great beauty, showcasing the versatility of the ud in a fascinating dialogue with the rhythms of the tabla and clarinet melodies, enriched with “aerial guitar.” Although Dhafer Youssef is the composer and arranger of the album, he gives plenty of space to HüsnüŞenlendirici.
Even though Sounds of Mirrors was originally meant to be a tribute to ZakirHussain and tabla, the album took a twist. Shafer felt that “working with and from an Indian cultural base, we could approach a more universal speech…”
Dhafer Youssef’s earlier albums include Malak (Enja), Electric Sufi (Enja), Digital Prophecy, Divine Shadows, Glow (Material), Abu Nawas Rhapsody (EmArcy), Birds Requiem (Okeh), and Diwan of Beauty and Odd.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.