Named after and dedicated to his wife, filmmaker and director Shiraz Fradi, Tunisian vocalist and oud maestro Dhafer Youssef's first album as leader on the ACT label is a thing of great beauty.
Youssef leads a dynamic ensemble featuring pianist Daniel García, trumpeter Mario Rom, bassist Swaéli Mbappé, and drummer Tao Ehrlich. Guitarist Nguyên Lê joins as a special guest on four tracks, enriching the textural palette with his distinctive guitar work and sound design. The album's delicate, chamber jazz-inspired aesthetic creates an intimate space that showcases the depth and versatility of Youssef's artistry.
Album opener “Rose Fragrance” unfolds like a blooming flower. It begins with García's crystalline piano as a solo voice, gradually layers in additional instruments, then returns to its sparse, intimate texture, creating a beautiful arc.
If you haven't heard it before, the sudden appearance of Youssef's falsetto at the midway point of "Generalife Gardens" will stop you in your tracks, such is its remarkable purity and power.
Cast as a musical triptych, “The Epistle of Love” provides the album’s striking centrepiece, beginning with a touching, free-time dialogue between oud and piano, then gradually intensifying into a rhythmically charged, head-nodding finale.
Elsewhere, “Zakir Bhai Eternal Longing" is one of the most unutterably lovely things I've heard this year – a two-part tribute honouring the late, great tabla master Zakir Hussain, who performed on Youssef's 2018 album Sounds of Mirrors.
Recorded at Studio des Bruères in the south-eastern suburbs of Poitier, France, plaudits must also go to musician, producer and sound engineer, Tony Paeleman, for the exceptional recording quality. Every tiny sonic detail is captured with incredible clarity, with the rich, full tone of the Steinway Model B grand piano sounding particularly gorgeous.
Listen to "Generalife Gardens":
