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A pinch of New York pepper, that changes every project

Dhafer Youssef’s new album (Okeh records, 2016).
While I’m editing a previous text, the newest project from the series of New York-European-North African combinations emerges. There’s direct contact – Mark Giuliana plus three other amazing musicians: Ben Williams on bass, Aaron Parks on piano and Ambrose Akinmusire on the trumpet. All of them together in Dhafer Youssef’s new album Diwan of Beauty and Odd, issued by the independent label “OKeh”.
With the opening track Fly Shadow Fly, we get an idea of the otherworldly music we’re about to listen to – a duet between D. Youssef and A. Parks; almost until the end Mark Giuliana stays hidden behind the door, but as he emerges, everything changes. Everything. This is where the whole concept of the album stems from and is later developed further.
The gradation is evolving. The game is serious. Thought through, but at the same time very sudden. The same otherworldly Giuliana, accompanied by Parks – a favourite pianist, improviser and at the same time a person, whom once you’ve heard, you can’t mistake for anyone else. With an incredible line up of albums – from solo, to a bunch of collaborations, to the witty and unique James Farm, where he plays with Joshua Redman, Eric Harland and Matt Penman.
The leading role of course goes to the voice of Dhafer Youssef and his oud.
I’ve been lucky enough to watch and experience him twice in Istanbul. The first time was at an unforgettable concert in the courtyard of the archeological museum in Istanbul, in the company of Husnu Senlendirici, Aytac Dogan and the “queen of percussions” (as named by Youssef) – Marilyn Mazur.
The second time is in a more intimate setting – his band, focused, precise, flying.
Here, in “Diwan Of Beauty And Odd” the music is far ahead. The energy, the emotion, the improvisation is mixed and balanced so well, the sounds are so new, even for then, that it makes it so surprising. What stands out after the first listen are the duets: piano – oud, vocals – trumpet, oud – bass. After that a trio of variations, even a quartet follows. An incredible dance between the piano and the oud is joined by the bass, the trumpet and Giuliana’s drums. I’m not sure how such harmony is achieved between eastern singings from the Middle Ages and the typical New York sound. It’s a fact that it all happens on the same frequency. Incredible depth, incredible balance and drama.
Youssef says in a recent interview that a New York project has been floating around in his head since 1999, so almost 20 years. He must have been waiting for the right people.
The word that best describes this album is “deep”. If Omar Khayyam’s words could translate into music, it would probably be this.
Dhafer Youssef - Fly Shadow Fly

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