LIONEL LOUEKE TRIO. ROOTS AND RIBS FESTIVAL of music and food. at OSPAC

GUITARIST LIONEL LOUEKE BRINGS HIS TRIO TO OSPAC

Starting out on vocals and percussion, Loueke
picked up the guitar late, at age 17. After his initial to exposure to
jazz in Benin, he left to attend the National Institute of Art in nearby
Ivory Coast. In 1994 he left Africa to pursue jazz studies at the
American School of Modern Music in Paris, then came to the U.S. on a
scholarship to Berklee. From there, Loueke gained acceptance to the
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, where he encountered his Gilfema
bandmates Biolcati, Nemeth, Parlato and other musicians with whom he
would form lasting creative relationships.

Praised by his mentor
Herbie Hancock as “a musical painter,” Loueke combines harmonic
complexity, soaring melody, a deep knowledge of African folk forms, and
conventional and extended guitar techniques to create a warm and
evocative sound of his own. His previous Blue Note release, Mwaliko,
offered a series of searching, intimate duets with Angelique Kidjo,
Richard Bona, Esperanza Spalding and Marcus Gilmore — artists and allies
who continue to have a profound impact on Loueke’s vision as a
bandleader.

In addition to Karibu and three previous albums with
Gilfema (Gilfema, Virgin Forest, Gilfema + 2), Loueke has appeared on
Terence Blanchard’s Grammy-nominated Flow (2005) and Hancock’s
Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters (2008). He has also toured the
world as a member of Hancock’s band and appeared on recordings by such
legends as Jack DeJohnette (Sound Travels), Charlie Haden (Land of the
Sun), Kenny Barron (The Traveler) and Gonzalo Rubalcaba (XXI Century).
He has also recorded with Esperanza Spalding (Radio Music Society),
Gretchen Parlato (In a Dream), Avishai Cohen (After the Big Rain),
Kendrick Scott (Source) and other leading peers.