Shiraz

Dhafer Youssef - Shiraz

CD / Vinyl / digital 

Dhafer Youssef oud, vocals
Daniel García Diego piano
Mario Rom trumpet
Swaeli Mbappe electric bass
Tao Ehrlich drums
Nguyên Lê electric guitar, sound design (#4,10,11,13)

There is no mistaking the deep emotions running through Dhafer Youssef's first album as leader on the ACT label, Shiraz. Feelings of love and gratitude on his part are unmistakably present, but he also imbues them with both light and darkness. The Tunisian oud master/vocalist’s pieces have a particular intimacy about them, and noticeably more so than in his previous work – because the story he has to tell here is certainly the most personal of his entire career. The album carries an explicit dedication to his wife Shiraz Fradi. It is about their close relationship and the eventful, at times bittersweet journey which they have shared since being together.

Dhafer Youssef is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive musical voices of our time; his art transcends borders, languages, and genres. Already as a child in his native Tunisia, he became acquainted with the Sufi tradition of Islamic music. Most of it was about love, a mystical understanding of human existence and the spirituality behind reality. These themes aroused his curiosity, but it was not long before a place such as Teboulbá in the Sahel region proved too restricting for a young man whose mind was set on seeing more of the world. In 1990, Dhafer Youssef left Tunisia, ending up in Vienna where he initially managed to keep the wolf from the door by cleaning windows, washing dishes, and working as a waiter.. He started carefully networking, and a theatre group brought him into contact with local musicians…

What marked him out above all as a musician was that he had such a clear idea of how his music should sound: rooted in the traditions of Arabic music and Sufism, yet open to contemporary sounds – and these could come from a variety of sources: jazz, chamber music, rock or even electronic music. With these ideas and this vision, the newcomer quickly found his niche. It was not long before top musicians such as Christian Muthspiel, Renaud Garcia-Fons and Markus Stockhausen were playing in his bands. From then on, his progress was rapid, the venues became larger, the projects more ambitious. In addition to European colleagues such as Eivind Aarset, American greats such as Marcus Miller and Herbie Hancock were soon to join the fray. Dhafer Youssef's first contact with ACT came in 2006 on Nguyên Lê's hypnotic and many-hued album Homescape.

However, the most important event in Dhafer Youssef's recent past didn’t have to do with music, at least not in the first place: at the end of the noughties, he met Tunisian filmmaker and director Shiraz Fradi – an encounter that, as he says, turned his life on its head. The two became a couple. The oud master, who had hitherto been restless in the extreme became much more grounded and centered. Things were going well until the coronavirus pandemic stopped everything in its tracks. And it was Shiraz and her view of the world that helped Dhafer Youssef to maintain his creativity during this time. He reflects: “Shiraz is a sensitive filmmaker, she sees life as cinema as if my days were transformed into endless scenes, and I was condemned, or perhaps blessed, to compose music without pause. Music, film, writing…they became the rhythm of our everyday life.”

Just after Covid, life changed once again - unexpectedly and dramatically - as Dhafer Youssef recalls: “Shiraz was diagnosed with cancer. But when faced with this reality, she rejected the word fight. Instead, she said: I embrace this new journey. And she walked through it with a grace and resilience that continues to inspire me.” Yet this period also proved to be an enormous challenge: “The third chemotherapy session was a moment I can never erase. I entered the room: Shiraz’ body was there, but her soul had drifted elsewhere. I looked at her; she did not look back. She was crying, and I was helpless, clueless. Only music could reach her, soothe her, bring her back to us. And I understood: my next album could bear only one name: Shiraz. For her, I could write entire books - about the doors she opened, about the light she brought. But here, I simply want to celebrate her: her journey, her grace.”

Recorded with a band of younger musicians – pianist Daniel García, trumpeter Mario Rom, bassist Swaéli Mbappé, drummer Tao Ehrlich, and guest guitarist Nguyên Lê – the nine pieces of the album trace the emotions Dhafer Youssef experienced. “The music reflects what Shiraz thinks and hears,” he explains. Generalife Gardens, for example, recalls the flamenco duo Lole y Manuel from their time in Spain. Other tracks, like The Epistle Of Love, evolve from gentle intros to joyful finales - films for the ears rather than the eyes. Listeners will notice changes during the second half of the album: the oud takes on the intimacy of chamber music, Dhafer Youssef's voice gains prominence - hymnic in Shajan, tender in Rose Fragrance, eruptive in Eyeblink And Eternity.

Besides the very personal story behind Shiraz, the music of the album, and of Dhafer Youssef in general has a cultural relevance that might be more important today as ever before: It embodies the dialogue between heritage and modernity. In an era marked by division and noise, his music offers connection, silence, and transcendence. It reminds us that art can be a bridge between East and West, between the self and the collective. And it stands as a testimony that identity is not confinement but expansion, a celebration of multiplicity and unity.

Credits
All compositions and arrangements by Dhafer Youssef
Recording by Tony Paeleman at Studio des Bruères, October 21 & 22, 2024
Terpsichorean recorded in Paris March 28th by Giulio Gallo
Mixing & additional recordings (vocal, oud) by Nguyên Lê at Big Rock Studio, Lyon (December 2024-June 2025)
Mastered by Bruno Gruel at Elektra Mastering
Visual Storyteller / Photographer: Skander Khlif
Creative Director: Shiraz Fradi
Cover art by Skander Khlif