JORDAN-DHAFER YOUSSEF Tunisian musician Dhafer Youssef performs in Amman

Record ID: 145129

  • Title: JORDAN-DHAFER YOUSSEF Tunisian musician Dhafer Youssef performs in Amman
  • Date: 4th August 2015
  • Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (AUGUST 3, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AUDIENCE MEMBERS SEATED TUNISIAN ARTIST DHAFER YOUSSEF PREPARING FOR HIS SHOW AS THE AUDIENCE CLAPS AND CHEERS
  • Embargoed: 19th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jordan
  • Country: Jordan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6GFSM7ARTF15PQRCEEXT92FF6
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Tunisian jazz musician Dhafer Youssef gave Jordanians a night to remember with a performance at the city's Roman amphitheatre.
    The 48-year old musician who is known for fusing an Arab beat with jazz and rock was closing the city's Al Balad Festival on Monday (August 3).
    The festival acts as a platform to showcase Arab artists from in and around the region, putting them in the spotlight and promoting their work to a different audience.
    Youssef has performed at music events around the world. But it's on an Arab stage where he says he engages with the audience in a different way.
    "Definitely, concerts are usually important for me as an Arab in the Arab World than in Europe in terms that the audience receives the music in a different way, it makes me interact in a different way. Definitely, the evening today was really important in my artistic career and the audience was great'', he said.
    Referring to the instability in the region, with a war raging in Syria and political turmoil in Lebanon, as well as influx of refugees to the kingdom from Syria, Youssef said music is something that offers people an outlet and respite from conflict and turmoil.
    "Instability exists before and for me music is the only exit that makes people breathe and see that there is a beautiful entrance. This is our luck I think that music, literature and theatre remain important in our life,'' the musician said.
    The Tunisian musician was educated at a Koranic school, with his grandfather a muezzin, his performance at the ancient amphitheatre reflected his early musical influences complimented by an electric beat.
    He has produced six albums with his latest album 'Birds Requiem' which was released in October 2013.
    His show was part of the fourth edition of the Al Balad festival, he is due to perform in France, Norway, Italy and his home country Tunisia this month.
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