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Yacine Boulares

Described by Radio France internationale as “a Tunisian man in New York, one of the most talented jazzmen of his generation” Yacine Boulares is a French-Tunisian saxophonist and composer based in Brooklyn.

After graduating from the Paris National Conservatory Yacine moves to New York on a Fulbright scholarship in 2009 to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary music. New York exposes him to a myriad of different musics. Soon he starts touring with Fela Kuti's ex drummer Jojo Kuo and Haitian Kompa legends Tabou Combo. In their musics he finds a deep echo to his Tunisian roots.

These influences urge him to seek his own identity and his explorations of North & West African rhythms lead to the creation of AJOYO, a mystic brew of African tradition, jazz and soul. Yacine signs the music and lyrics of two albums that celebrates life, love and justice. (2015&2020)

In 2014 he is part of Placido Domingo’s Encanto Del Mar (Sony Classical). This is where he meets cellist Vincent Segal and gets the idea to explore the forgotten Tunisian Stambeli repertoire with drummer Nasheet Waits.

In 2015 Abu Sadiya is granted the French American Jazz Exchange grant, the Arab Fund for the Arts and Culture as well as the Brooklyn Arts Fund (2016 & 2018). The album was released in 2017 and hailed by Le Monde as “a glittering instrumental suite, all fluidity and golden colors”, the trio performed at Jazzahead in 2017 and their US tours included both the Lincoln Center and the Jazz Gallery.

In 2019 Yacine is selected to be a part of the prestigious Joe’s Pub Working Group to develop his newest project IFRIQIYA, a multimedia performance exploring the Afro Tunisian rhythmic traditions.

In 2020 Yacine founds the label Shems Records and the Habibi Festival in New York, a three day festival dedicated to contemporary Arabic culture.

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1
Album Review

Yacine Boulares: Abu Sadiya

Read "Abu Sadiya" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Il sassofonista e clarinettista di origini tunisine Yacine Boulares presenta qui un'interessantissima suite di musica originale, ispirata però ad Abu Sadiya, mitica figura dell'XI secolo appartenente alla tradizione tunisina che Boulares ha conosciuto attraverso i racconti del padre. Originario dell'Africa sub sahariana, probabilmente del Mali, giunto in Tunisia alla ricerca della figlia rapita e ridotta in schiavitù, Abu Sadiya fu una guida spirituale per gli schiavi tunisini, ma anche un musicista che dette origine allo Stambeli, forma di musica rituale ...

7
Interview

Yacine Boularès: Coltrane by way of Descartes

Read "Yacine Boularès: Coltrane by way of Descartes" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Saxophonist Yacine Boularès took the road less travelled to discover and develop his passion for jazz. After graduating in philosophy from the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris, he felt the urge to put into practice the notions of aesthetics he had researched for his dissertation. Following his studies at Paris' Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique and then at the New School for Jazz in New York, he set off on a professional journey that has unfolded at the intersection of ...

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Primary Instrument

Saxophone

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Abu Sadiya

Accords Croisés
2018

buy

AJOYO

Ropeadope
2015

buy

Far Away

Unknown label
2011

buy

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