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Lionel Loueke

Born in Benin, a small country of west Africa, Lionel first picked up percussion instruments before choosing guitar at the age of 17.

In 1990, he moved to Ivory Coast for a general musical training in the "National Institute of Art" which lasted four years. As he was listening to outstanding jazz musicians such as Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Benson, he was definitely convinced that he needed to improve his playing. The next step would be to enroll in a well known jazz school.

In 1994, he was accepted at the "American School of Modern Music" in Paris (France) where he got his Diploma in 1998.

The dreams were coming true. In 1999, he was awarded a scholarship to "Berklee College of Music" in Boston, Massachussetts. He quickly graduated in 2000 majoring in Jazz Performance.

In 2001, he auditioned for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and was selected in a world wide search by a panel of judges including jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and Wayne Shorter. He studied on this full scholarship at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, until may 2003.

In 2002, while still at the Monk Institute, he stated playing with trumpet player and film music composer Terence Blanchard. He recorded two albums with him, the second one on the famous Blue Note label.

Between 2003-2006, Lionel lives in New York and plays around the world. He played onTerence Blanchard last CD and DVD "Flow". Also on Herbie Hancock's last CD and DVD "Possibilities". He also recorded two CD's under his own name, "In A Trance" (Space Time) and now, "Virgin Forest" his highly-anticipated debut on ObliqSound.

He studied with: Mick Goodrick, John Damiam, George Garzone, Russell Ferante, Joe Diorio, Terence Blanchard, Dave Holland, Kenny Barron, Steve Turre, John Scofield, Louis Nash, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and many others.

Performed and recorded with: Kenwood Dennard, George Garzone, Bob Hurst , Alphonso Jonhson, Angelique Kidjo, Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, Wayne Shorter, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Charlie Haden, Richard Bona, Nathan East, Vinnie Colauita, Marcus Miller, Sting, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kenny Garrett, Roy Hargrove, Santana, Dennis Chambers.

Omri Mor / Yosef-Gutman Levitt: Melodies of Light

Read "Melodies of Light" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
October 1, 2023

It is quite rare in a culture and society driven by autocrats, hits, likes, blogs and podcasts, that recordings as ethereal, yet born of the ageless earth, as Melodies of Light come around to release us from the daily ugly. Spontaneous music of this hypnotic, mysterious beauty and elusive grace give us pause to reflect on where we are, individually and collectively, and to seek a better way. It haunts. It comes at the listener from some timeless ...

Album Review

Gretchen Parlato, Lionel Loueke: Lean In

Read "Lean In" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
June 5, 2023

Le collaborazioni discografiche tra la vocalist losangelina e il chitarrista del Benin iniziano nel biennio 2005/2006. Prima è venuto Gretchen Parlato, l'album debutto della cantante, e qualche mese dopo Virgin Forest (Obliqsound), il terzo lavoro di Loueke che comprendeva già Herbie Hancock. Negli anni successivi i due interpreti hanno continuato a collaborare in vari contesti privilegiando le comuni affinità: il jazz contemporaneo, l'amore per le musiche etniche (i ritmi in particolare) di Africa e Brasile, qualche suggestione pop e la ...

Album Review

Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke: Lean In

Read "Lean In" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
May 27, 2023

With a voice as sweet and cool as a spring breeze, Gretchen Parlato would sound at home in any cozy jazz club from jny: Paris to jny: Sao Paulo. The sound of Lionel Loueke's voice and guitar is at least 60 percent rhythm, with his plucking and crooning having an innate percussive pulse running through it. Two decades of collaboration and close friendship are on display with Parlato and Loueke's first full duo-recording; Lean In shows the breadth of their ...

Radio & Podcasts

Lionel Loueke: Our Story Is What We Play

by Leo Sidran
January 10, 2022

When Lionel Loueke was coming of age as a young guitarist in his home country of Benin in West Africa, there were no music stores of any kind. He would have had to travel to Nigeria—the next country over--just to get his hands on some new strings. So he made due with what he had, cleaning and soaking, reusing his strings and even going so far as to tie knots in them when they broke. Lionel's story is ...

Six Picks

October 2021

by Pat Youngspiel
October 30, 2021

The Source But swinging doesn't bend them down Odin Records 2021 This new release by Norwegian jazz outfit The Source arrives 15 years after the quartet's self-titled ECM debut and makes up for lost time with angular swing, unconventional rubato and offbeat contemplation. The four protagonists--each a pillar of the contemporary Norwegian jazz landscape--have remained quite busy with other projects in the meantime: drummer Per Oddvar Johansen continues to expand his leader-date catalogue on ...

Interview

Lionel Loueke: I Dare You

by Ian Patterson
March 1, 2021

Though 2020 proved to be challenging, to say the least, Lionel Loueke can look back on a year blighted by the COVID-19 pandemic with some personal satisfaction. To produce not one but two great albums was no small feat. First, there was Gilfema 3 (Sounderscore), a brilliant outing with Massimo Biolcati and Ferenc Nemeth--the trio's first recording in twelve years. That was followed by the solo album HH (Edition Records), an innovative tribute to the music of Herbie Hancock. Both ...

Radio & Podcasts

Guitar Trios

by Russell Perry
December 24, 2020

Guitar, bass and drum trios appear sporadically throughout jazz history, but did not see much frequency as a format until the 1970s, when guitarists including John Abercrombie and Pat Metheny adopted the small ensemble more commonly associated with rock power trios. In the last decade, a growing number of guitarists have settled on the trio as their preferred template. Guitar trios from Julian Lage, Lionel Loueke, Charlie Ballentine, Jakob Bro, Gilad Hekselman, Anthony Pirog and Steve Tibbetts in this hour ...

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