Sounds of Mirrors

Born into a long line of muezzins (men who call Muslims to prayer), Dhafer Youssef discovered his own melodic voice at the age of five, singing along to Arabic songs on the radio in his mother's kitchen in the Sahel region of Tunisia. Later, as a 19-year-old studying classical music in Vienna, he began his lifelong fascination with the mysticism and spirituality of Indian music, as well as the more earthly attractions of jazz.

On his latest album, the vocalist and oud player has brought together tabla legend Zakir Hussain, Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset and Turkish clarinettist Hüsnü Şenlendirici. Keeping Indian music as the constant background and motif, this release also celebrates Tunisia's rich musical heritage while weaving in sounds and elements of styles from other parts of the globe. Almost all of the tracks here, even the more uptempo ones – ‘Dance Layan Dance’ and ‘Journey in Bergama’ for example – have a meditative, contemplative edge while others such as ‘Satya (Satyagraha Suite)’ sound truly mournful, yet still beguilingly beautiful.

Youssef's fondness for mixing jazz influences with Eastern tradition (he's credited by aficionados with having introduced the Western genre to the oud and Sufi music) becomes clear on the bold and enthralling ‘Nasikabhushani’.