PHOTO BY SAMANTHA LEE
i-sef u-sef is Yousef El-Magharbel — an Egyptian-American bassoonist and producer from Los Angeles, currently based in Michigan.
Shaghara Lemoune, Arabic for lemon tree, is his debut full length project. Eleven songs entirely made on bassoon—harmonies, bass, drums, everything.
Shuffling nimbly through jazz, soul and groove, Yousef’s album is a window into Egyptian family life and culture. He uses the motif of a lemon tree in the backyard of his family home to explore vernacular expressions + dynamics (between self & others) that reflect his upbringing and ecology.
Originally self-released in December 2019.
Re-issued October 13, 2021