Hailed by Radio France Internationale as “a Tunisian man in NY, one of the most talented jazzmen of his generation” Yacine Boulares is French-Tunisian saxophonist, composer and curator.

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. NYC 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 (since 2013). 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 brew of African tradition, jazz and soul. AJOYO released two albums in 2015 and 2020. (War Chant was awarded Best Global Music EP at the Independent Music Awards in 2020)

In 2014 Yacine is featured on Placido Domingo’s Encanto Del Mar as a soloist and arranger. There, he meets cellist Vincent Segal and gets the idea to explore the Tunisian Stambeli repertoire with drummer Nasheet Waits. In 2015 the trio - Abu Sadiya - is granted the French American Jazz Exchange grant, the Arab Fund for the Arts and Culture and the Brooklyn Arts Fund. The album -released in 2017 - was 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 the Lincoln Center and the Jazz Gallery in NYC.

In 2019 Yacine is selected to be a part of the Joe’s Pub Working Group. His residency leads to the creation of the Habibi Festival in New York, the first US music festival dedicated to contemporary Arabic music. (Now in its 3rd year).

In 2020 Yacine is commissioned by the Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Tunis to create Night in Tunisia, a new project re-appropriating Dizzy Gillespie’s standard through a suite of original compositions blending Tunisian rhythms, Soul and Arabic traditions. In 2022 Night in Tunisia becomes the collective OSOOL and tours the US twice (Habibi Festival, Duke University, Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, Drom, The Art- Yard...).

In 2023 he is part of Archie Shepp’s creation at BAM “The Cry of My People” alongside Jason Moran, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Amina Claudine Myers, Sarah Elizabeth Charles and Amir El Saffar.

Yacine is a 2023-24 National Arts Club Fellow.

DISCOGRAPHY

Produced by Robert Sadin.

Ira Coleman, Chico Pinheiro, Mark Feldman, Bridget Kibbey, Vincent Segal, Yacine Boulares, Patrick Messina, Cyro Baptista, Rhani Khrija...

Senri Oe -piano & compositions

Etienne Charles: Trumpet        Adrian Cunningham- tenor sax/clarinet

Jaleel Shaw: alto sax               Yacine Boulares- soprano sax

Jim Robertson-bass                Reggie Quinerly-drums

Luis Bonilla- trombone            Daniel Barnidge-arrangements

FRANKY ROUSSEAU LARGE BAND

Austin Peralta – piano (featured)                   Trumpets

Arthur Hnatek – drums                            Ari Bragi Karason
Michael Valeanu – guitar                         Simon Millerd
Matt Rousseau – bass                             Cody Rowlands
Colin Fairbank – keyboard                       Sam Neufeld                                                                                        Carou Johnson

Trombones                                                Woodwinds

Gabriel Gagnon                                       Yacine Boulares
Kurtis Muller                                            Levon Henry
Raymond Carruthers                               Ilia Skibinsky
Felix Del Tredici                                      Dillon Baiocchi                                                                                       Sayre Schultz