We last heard of Dhafer when he was part of the Omar Sosa tour of 2005 (with Anga Diaz). Away from World Circuit, he made an appearance on oud and vocals on ‘Huis Clos’ off Laurent Garnier’s last studio album, The Cloud Making Machine, which also featured Bugge Wesseltoft. Now we can start to spot the connections with Jazzland Records.

In fact, when Laurent sat in for Mr. Peterson the other week, he played a track off this album on the show. Anyway, back with the album and after the chant opener, ‘27th Century Ethos’ is similarly mournful but with a futuristic bleeps and buzz backing.

‘In Human Sense’ is more ‘traditional’ with string accompaniment as it builds to an unexpected electric guitar solo. Of course, this is the style of any self-respecting Tuscany-born oud playing sufi singer backed with a band of top Norwegian nu-jazzers such as Einvid Aarset (producer, programer and guitarist), Arve Henriksen (trumpet), Rune Arnesen (drums) and Audun Erlien (bass).

Perhaps the ten minutes long ‘Odd Poetry’ sums up the ‘diverse’ nature of the album best in content and title where ambient Arabic themes meet electonica and jazz rock fusion. ‘Odd Poetry’ is ideal Sunday chill out session material of the type Phabius Maximus might just drop out of the blue; although this “psychedelic whirling dervish” is probably a little too straight for him.

As it goes, this album is a right melting pot of cinematic strings and funky jazz breaks; ‘Persona Non Grata’ gets back to old skool new conceptions of Jazzland.

Even if this album is mostly ambient, ‘Ivresse Divine’ is almost avant-guard, but it has so many added influences and moods it’s going to grab you somewhere along the line; jazzheads will get the trumpet of Arve Henriksen before anything else.

I can’t see that you can actually buy this CD from the Jazzland Record site but try Fly’s new CD shop instead.

Hectic Mix Nomination: ‘27th Century Ethos’, ‘Odd Poetry’, ‘Persona Non Grata’

Reviewed: Dhafer Youssef — Divine Shadows (Jazzland Records)`Cat. No. 9877224 Release date: March / August 2006
Tracklisting:
1. Cantus Lamentus (Dedicated To A. Part) (3:46)
2. 27th Century Ethos (6:06)
3. Miel Et Cendres (Dedicated To Mohamed Choukri) (5:16)
4. Wind and Shadows (7:38)
5. Odd Poetry (10:11)
6. 27th Ethos (Dedicated To Jatinder Thakur) (5:05)
7. Persona Non Grata (6:28)
8. Postludium (3:14)
9. Eleventh Stone (6:51)
10. Ivresse Divine (4:16)
11. Un Soupir Eternal (To A Norwegian Girl, Karen Steen Aarset 1931 — 2004) (7:47)

Links:
www.jazzlandrec.com
Sterns Music
Gilles Peterson : Sunday 17 September :: Tracklising :
Dhafer Yousseff- ‘27th Century Ethos’ (Jazzland)
Laurent Garnier live, ‘Barbiturik Blues’, ‘Controling The House’, ‘First Reaction’ & ‘M bass’ (F Comm)