ظافر يوسف (Romanized: Dhafer Youssef) is a singer, composer, and oud player… Read Full Bio ↴ظافر يوسف (Romanized: Dhafer Youssef) is a singer, composer, and oud player who was born in 1967 in Teboulba, Tunisia. The oud is an Arabic lute, a string instrument that can achieve a beautiful sound from those who know how to master it.
Youssef began singing when he was only five-years-old. Since then he has performed for audiences in Tunisia, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, and other countries. He has appeared with his own ensembles and recorded two albums with them, one in 1993 and the other three years later. Youssef's music combines Sufi tradition, world, mystical, and jazz influences with Arabic lyricism. In 1999, Enja Records released Youssef's third album, Malak, which includes the songs "A Kind of Love," "Tarannoum," and "Eklil." Youssef provided vocals and oud for the album and was accompanied by such well-known artists as violinist Zoltan Lantos, bassist Achim Tang, tabla and dolak player Jatinder Thakur, tambourine player Carlo Rizzo, bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons, and drummer Patrice Héral. In 2002, Youssef released Electric Sufi on Enja and added electronic elements and funky grooves to his genre-bending sound with the ex-Sugar Hill Gang and Tackhead rhythm section of Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbush and followed it up with 'Digital Prophecy', another multi-layered, multi-faceted marvel. His most recent album, Abu Nwas Rhapsody (2010) paints, perhaps, the broadest picture of Youssef of any single album to date, with its focus on a consistent lineup and the resultant chemistry. Without dismissing the inestimable strengths of Youssef's playing, singing and composing, Abu Nawas Rhapsody's greatest energy and strength comes from an ideal trio of collaborators, who turn it into his hottest session to date.
He developed some perennial musical partnerships, notably with the Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu and the Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset. Youssef feels a special bond with Scandinavian musicians, which is fortunate, since Norway and Sweden are now widely regarded to have the most fascinating and dynamic avant-garde jazz scenes in the world. Youssef has also performed with Uri Caine, Jon Hassell, Markus Stockhausen, Nguyên Lê and the cuban pianist Omar Sosa, to name but a few. In 2001 recorded the 'Electric Sufi' CD With walls, boundaries, barriers, labels and frontiers becoming ever more rigid and impregnable, Dhafer Youssef reminds us that any composer or musician of worth must be free to roam, with his body, his mind and his spirit, or music itself might end up being the biggest casualty.
Youssef began singing when he was only five-years-old. Since then he has performed for audiences in Tunisia, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, and other countries. He has appeared with his own ensembles and recorded two albums with them, one in 1993 and the other three years later. Youssef's music combines Sufi tradition, world, mystical, and jazz influences with Arabic lyricism. In 1999, Enja Records released Youssef's third album, Malak, which includes the songs "A Kind of Love," "Tarannoum," and "Eklil." Youssef provided vocals and oud for the album and was accompanied by such well-known artists as violinist Zoltan Lantos, bassist Achim Tang, tabla and dolak player Jatinder Thakur, tambourine player Carlo Rizzo, bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons, and drummer Patrice Héral. In 2002, Youssef released Electric Sufi on Enja and added electronic elements and funky grooves to his genre-bending sound with the ex-Sugar Hill Gang and Tackhead rhythm section of Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbush and followed it up with 'Digital Prophecy', another multi-layered, multi-faceted marvel. His most recent album, Abu Nwas Rhapsody (2010) paints, perhaps, the broadest picture of Youssef of any single album to date, with its focus on a consistent lineup and the resultant chemistry. Without dismissing the inestimable strengths of Youssef's playing, singing and composing, Abu Nawas Rhapsody's greatest energy and strength comes from an ideal trio of collaborators, who turn it into his hottest session to date.
He developed some perennial musical partnerships, notably with the Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu and the Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset. Youssef feels a special bond with Scandinavian musicians, which is fortunate, since Norway and Sweden are now widely regarded to have the most fascinating and dynamic avant-garde jazz scenes in the world. Youssef has also performed with Uri Caine, Jon Hassell, Markus Stockhausen, Nguyên Lê and the cuban pianist Omar Sosa, to name but a few. In 2001 recorded the 'Electric Sufi' CD With walls, boundaries, barriers, labels and frontiers becoming ever more rigid and impregnable, Dhafer Youssef reminds us that any composer or musician of worth must be free to roam, with his body, his mind and his spirit, or music itself might end up being the biggest casualty.
Odd Elegy
Dhafer Youssef Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Dhafer Youssef:
Al-Hallaj فاقتلوني و احرقوني بعظامي الفانيات ثم مروا برفاتي في القبور …
Aya كفرت بدين الله و الكفر، و الكفر عند الؤمنين حرام كفرت ليلي ه…
Aya 1984 والله ما طلعت شمسٌ ولا غربت إلا و حبّـك مقـرون…
Blending Souls & Shades مُزِجَتْ رُوحُكَ بِرُوحِي كَما تُمزَجُ الخَمرَةُ بالمْاءِ ال…
Blending Souls & Shades (To Shiraz) مُزِجَتْ رُوحُكَ بِرُوحِي كَما تُمزَجُ الخَمرَةُ بالمْاءِ ال…
Diving in the Air بحجاب النفس قومي حجبوا ويحهم كم يدَّعون يدعون الفطنا يعبدون…
Humankind I HOW wonderful is Death, Death, and his brother Sleep! One,…
Khamsa "the Khamriyyat of Abu Nuwas" اسْقِني، واسْقِ يوسُفَا، مــزّة َ الطّـعْـمِ ، قَـرْقَـفَـــ…
Khamsa "the Khamriyyat of Abu Nuwas". اسْقِني، واسْقِ يوسُفَا، مــزّة َ الطّـعْـمِ ، قَـرْقَـفَـــ…
Sweet Blasphemy دع المساجد للــعباد تسكنها وطف بنا حول خمار ليسقينا ما قال…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@YataoMusic
Oh my god...This is so inspiring on so many levels. Sitting at home and this makes me cry...
@angelajackli1019
one of those musicians guiding me trough life since many years. life is a beautiful struggle and music a guiding light. keep it shining on!
@oscargill423
Some university jazz students told me about Dhafer Youssef years ago. I decided to check him out. This is the video I watched. I was immediately fascinated by the unusual rhythm... and thus began my love for additive rhythm. To this day, I love the naturally flowing feel of the 39/16 combined with the spontaneity of the jazz influence, and it's been highly influential on my musical taste. And I'm very grateful for that. Thank you Dhafer for this crazy cool music.
@nico.m8346
Tigran is a dragon.
@linzmusic554
In the Mehliana sense? Absolutely agreed
@unprovablegod
Is this a very young and hairy Tigran?! What a combo!
@jasonjackson3114
Excellent. Middle East meets jazz and its percussive. Fusion doesn't get better than that.
@babettevomberg3543
Das ist tolle Musik und so einfūhlsame Musiker. Danke dir das alles auf YouTube gefunden zu haben. Freue mich schon auf ein live Konzert. Hoffentlich bald wieder.
@ahmadadelian2920
i dont get tired of listening to this song
@asraliaikum
Absolutely incredible.