Dhafer Youssef
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Arooj Aftab

For someone who only discovered jazz at the age of 22, in Vienna (Austria) where he studied, the singer and oud player quickly became one of its most groundbreaking voices by inventing a unique universe. Eight albums and nearly 30 years in the music business later, he continues to refine his approach and his journey punctuated by very prestigious collaborations. Following the success of his latest album Streets Of Minarets, a real gem of creativity and virtuosity, Dhafer Youssef will be back in autumn 2025 with a new record produced with the quintet which plays with him during concerts. You will have the opportunity to discover it exclusively this summer, at Jazz à Vienne!

Line-up : 

• Dhafer Youssef (voice, oud)
• Mario Rom (trumpet)
• Daniel Garcia (piano)
• Swaéli Mbappé (bass)
• Tao-Ehrlich (drums)

What a pleasure to rediscover this oud poet, pioneer of musical trips between the East (his native Lebanon!) and the West in the mid-80s! For more than 40 years, he has been performing a balancing act between both worlds to foster a fertile imagination, using the great Zarathustra in his own way. Today, he comes back with string instruments, which are of course permanent features in his work, but with two Polish top virtuosi: Mateusz Smoczynski on the violin and Krzysztof Lenczowski on the cello. Jarrod Cagwin will be there as the faithful beat keeper for a concert on the theme of strength and eternal renewal. 
Let’s dance and laugh, and let’s be guided by this enchanting and playful oud. Rabih will undoubtedly lead us on his one-of-a-kind and appealing universe.

Line-up : 

• Rabih Abou-Khalil (voice, oud)
• Mateusz Smoczyński (voice)
• Krzysztof Lenczowski (cello)
• Jarrod Cagwin (drums)

Among the younger generation of singer-songwriters who are starting to emerge all around the world, Arooj Aftab never stops changing position and evolving. Based in Brooklyn, the Pakistani artist is never where we expect her to be, but her discography abounds with wonders: an album with an acoustic style and a poetic touch, another record with a futuristic and electronic atmosphere produced in collaboration with the pianist Vijay Iyer and the bass player and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily or another one filled with an almost liturgical solemnity. Mastering suspended vibes with harrowing emotions, she will play for the first time at Jazz à Vienne. She will showcase the album which may be the closest to her passion for jazz: Night Reign is the new bubble of her multiverse, recorded with some of the most creative instrumentalists of our times.

Line-up : 

• Arooj Aftab (voice)
• Vijay Iyer (piano)
• Shahzad Ismaily (bass)