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Jazz Articles about Lionel Loueke
Lionel Loueke: I Dare You
by Ian Patterson
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 ...
Continue ReadingGuitar Trios
by Russell Perry
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 ...
Continue ReadingLionel Loueke, Roberto Cecchetto, Prince & Miles, Bootsy & More New Releases
by Ludovico Granvassu
In this week's exploration of new and upcoming releases we explore a whole range of human interactions, from Matt Wilson's hugs to Kahil El'Zabar's jumps and shout, from Prince and Miles Davis going mano a mano to Bootsy Collins and Branford Marsalis proceeding arm in arm like true funkateeers, from Antoine Pierre following Miles' steps to Lionel Loueke doing the same with those of Herbie Hancock. And more... Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme ...
Continue ReadingLionel Loueke: HH
by Ian Patterson
Hulk Hogan? Harry Houdini? Hugh Hefner? As tempting as it is to imagine Lionel Loueke cheerily following some absurdist impulse, the HH of the title instead honors Herbie Hancock—a long-time mentor and source of inspiration to the Benin-born guitarist. A jurist on the audition panel who selected Loueke for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Hancock thereafter called upon Loueke's six-string services on Possibilities (Hear Music, 2005), River: The Joni Letters (Verve, 2007) and The Imagine Project (Herbie Hancock Music, ...
Continue ReadingKevin Hays, Lionel Loueke: Hope
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Kevin Hays e Lionel Loueke sono ormai da diversi anni considerati due fra i più affermati musicisti della loro generazione, avendo alle spalle numerosi dischi e concerti in collaborazione con artisti del calibro di Brad Mehldau, David Holland, Chris Potter, Bill Stewart, Sonny Rollins, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter e Charlie Haden, solo per nominarne alcuni fra i più importanti. Pur provenendo da culture e percorsi musicali totalmente differenti (il melting pot della scena jazz newyorchese per ...
Continue ReadingGilfema: Three
by Pat Youngspiel
Few trios are as immediately recognizable as Gilfema. It's almost impossible to mistake the interplay between Ferenc Nemeth, Massimo Biolcati and Lionel Loueke. The three Berklee College of Music and Thelonious Monk institute graduates have been going at it together for more than 15 years now, their eponymous debut album having been released in 2005 for New York-based label Obliqsound. Between uneven meters, jazzy harmonies and afro-pop-infused rhythms and melodies, the three collaborators continue to express their individual musical visions ...
Continue ReadingKevin Hays & Lionel Loueke: Hope
by Geno Thackara
It would have been easy to leave well enough alone. Kevin Hays and Lionel Loueke made a delightful recording the first time around—a most happy clash of hemispheres blending urban jazz and world-folk balladry, crossing upbeat piano with lively scat-singing, frisky African rhythm play and much more. Nonetheless, a slot with Edition Records offered them a chance to revisit the work and give it a wider release than its initial 2017 vinyl pressing on the Newvelle Records subscription label. Let's ...
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