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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.

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6
Album Review

Omri Mor / Yosef-Gutman Levitt: Melodies of Light

Read "Melodies of Light" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


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 ...

1
Album Review

Gretchen Parlato, Lionel Loueke: Lean In

Read "Lean In" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


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 ...

7
Album Review

Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke: Lean In

Read "Lean In" reviewed by Geno Thackara


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 ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

Lionel Loueke: Our Story Is What We Play

Read "Lionel Loueke: Our Story Is What We Play" reviewed by Leo Sidran


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 ...

16
Six Picks

October 2021

Read "October 2021" reviewed by Pat Youngspiel


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 ...

15
Interview

Lionel Loueke: I Dare You

Read "Lionel Loueke: I Dare You" reviewed 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 ...

5
Radio & Podcasts

Guitar Trios

Read "Guitar Trios" reviewed 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 ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Lionel Loueke's birthday today!

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 ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Lionel Loueke's birthday today!

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 ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Lionel Loueke's birthday today!

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 ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Lionel Loueke's birthday today!

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 ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Jazz Musician of the Day: Lionel Loueke

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Lionel Loueke's birthday today!

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 ...

1

Music Industry

Jazz this week: Dr. Lonnie Smith & Lionel Loueke, Alarm Will Sound, a tribute to Billie Holiday, and more

Jazz this week: Dr. Lonnie Smith & Lionel Loueke, Alarm Will Sound, a tribute to Billie Holiday, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music shows in St. Louis emphasizes collaboration, with several events presenting novel combinations of musicians for your listening enjoyment. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, May 27 Jazz St. Louis' latest combination of two headliners into one evening of music features organist Dr. Lonnie Smith teamed with guitarist and singer Lionel Loueke, who will perform this week through Saturday night at Jazz at the Bistro. Both Smith and Loueke certainly share a penchant ...

1

Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Dr. Lonnie Smith & Lionel Loueke

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Dr. Lonnie Smith & Lionel Loueke

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Dr. Lonnie Smith is the elder statesman of jazz organ, one of the last living links back to the 1960s and 70s heyday of Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland, Richard “Groove" Holmes, and other Hammond heroes. Lionel Loueke is a guitarist from a different generation and half a world away who mixes jazz with the rhythms of his home country, the west African nation of Benin. Both men have distinctive sounds that tend to dominate the ...

1

Recording

Motema Music To Release Gathering Light From Oran Etkin, Featuring Ben Allison, Nasheet Waits, Lionel Loueke & Curtis Fowlkes

Motema Music To Release Gathering Light From Oran Etkin, Featuring Ben Allison, Nasheet Waits, Lionel Loueke & Curtis Fowlkes

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity

Motema Music To Release GATHERING LIGHT From ORAN ETKIN Featuring Ben Allison, Nasheet Waits, Lionel Loueke & Curtis Fowlkes To be released April 8, 2014 US & Europe CD Release tour including NYC CD Release Party at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz At Lincoln Center on May 12! Inspired by tours in Indonesia, China, Japan, Israel and Europe, Oran Etkin's brilliant new album, Gathering Light,to be released on Motema Music on April 8, 2014, and featuring Oran Etkin-bass clarinet, Ben ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Lionel Loueke, Snarky Puppy, Trinity Piano Trio, Denise Thimes, and More

Jazz This Week: Lionel Loueke, Snarky Puppy, Trinity Piano Trio, Denise Thimes, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

From Africa to outer space to New Orleans to NYC and beyond, this week's menu of upcoming live performances in St. Louis reflects the wide variety of influences in jazz and creative music today. Let's go the highlights: Tonight, guitarist and singer Lionel Loueke opens a four-night gig at Jazz at the Bistro. The Benin-born, Berklee-educated guitarist and singer has played in St. Louis before as a sideman with Herbie Hancock, but this will be his local debut as a ...

Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: From Benin to Berklee and Beyond with Guitarist and Singer Lionel Loueke

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: From Benin to Berklee and Beyond with Guitarist and Singer Lionel Loueke

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Thie week, let's peruse some video clips from guitarist and singer Lionel Loueke, who's coming to St. Louis to play Wednesday, May 8 through Saturday, May 11 at Jazz at the Bistro. Born in the west African nation of Benin, Loueke studied starting in 1990 at the National Institute of Art in Ivory Coast and from 1994 to 1998 at the American School of Modern Music in Paris. He came to the USA in 1999 after winning a scholarship to ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Lean In

Edition Records
2023

buy

Melodies of Light

Soul Song Records
2023

buy

Soul Song (with...

Self Produced
2023

buy

HH Reimagined

Edition Records
2022

buy

Close Your Eyes

Sounderscore
2021

buy

Three

Sounderscore
2020

buy

Rossignol

From: Virgin Forest
By Lionel Loueke

Videos

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