A journey for oud and voice
This week we're listening to Dhafer Youssef's latest album Street of Minarets, which was released last Friday (Back beat edition 2023). We listen and we travel.
As Youssef himself says, the overriding feeling and mood of the album is the journey. A journey through and through. It was during his visits to the four corners of the world that he set the theme for his new project. In addition, he experiments with the distortion of his voice and the use of megaphones and loudspeakers that muezzins usually use to call the faithful to prayer from the minarets (hence the name of the album).
Last week, we looked at two tracks from Street of Minarets - "Herbie's Dance," in which Youssef is kept company by maestro Herbie Hancock on piano and virtuoso Nguyen Le on guitar, and the late-November appearance "Ondes of Chakras," which also features bassist Marcus Miller. In addition, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, bassist Dave Holland and others join the project.
The result is Yussef's signature fusion sound, where East and West merge into one. Today we dive into this mystical and magical world that Youssef creates with each project.
The album release tour kicked off last night at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. We are also looking for a next meeting with Youssef's magic live.
The album is available across digital platforms.
February 2023
Image ©МА
