These observations are of someone who attended a concert by the artist post his “Abu Nawas” release, and then another concert post “Birds Requiem”, and now the third that can be called “Before the next album”, thus an evolution can be predicted (too scientific, aren’t I?)
The Kölner Philharmonie,as event location is the perfect place for a Jazz performance, when high sound fidelity is needed to clearly deliver the smallest nuances of jazz to the listener, when its calm and when it’s banging (yes Jazz can be LOUD!).
If you are into Rock or Metal and think Jazz is far from you, do not worry, Dhafer Youssef Jazz/Rock is coming to you. The next album in preparation seems to be implementing more elements of Progressive rock and Psychedelic.
The artist moved from an electronic style to a more Jazzy oriental style in “Abu Nawas Rhapsody album” then solidified it in the second album “Birds Requiem” adding more electric guitar to the work and passages that seem coming of Rock and at times Metal.
So yes, I suspect the next album to be comparable to work of “Haken” (as one example of Jazzy progressive rock) sometimes in slower pace, faster, simpler or more complex but definitely not far from progressive rock. Let me be too rude to state that one of the pieces performed by Dhafer’s quintet sounded at moments like the work of Pink Floyd.
On a side note: The artist did not say “We love you Cologne” or “This is the best city”, that is for POP Rock bands only, oh and he did not try to say German words to gain crowd cheering, only talked lengthily in German which is ,as always, appreciated by Germans; to have someone speaking their language and properly communicating.
