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A Guitarist To Be Reckoned With... 
...Lionel Loueke  
...You might see the first album with a different cover released by a different label. Outside of those albums, another place you've gotten a glimpse of him is on Herbie Hancock's album... 
...Possibilites Lionel Loueke plays (and did the arrangement) on Sting's Sister Moon. A friend of mine saw him performing with Herbie Hancock and strongly suggested that I check him out further. A few excerpts from a very good article... Guitarist Lionel Loueke (pronounced Lee-oh-NELL Lou-EH-keh) first came to the United States from his native Benin, Africa, in 1999, at 26, with a captivating guitar technique and a deep love of jazz's improvisational freedom. He'd gained knowledge of and affection for the music of jazz-guitar heroes such as Wes Montgomery and George Benson and bluesmen like B.B. King, but he planned to sound like none of them. He'd been entranced by the compositions and band concepts of modern jazz masters — saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock, for example — and he wished to play with all of them. One look at the schedule posted on Loueke's website finds the guitarist — now 33 and based in New York — living something between his wildest dream and a traveler's nightmare. There are extended runs throughout the United States and abroad in various groups led by Hancock; regular tours with trumpeter Terence Blanchard's sextet; gigs here and there with singer Gretchen Parlato, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, pianist Robert Glasper, and others; solo performances; and strings of bookings with Gilfema, Loueke's trio with Hungarian-born drummer Ferenc Nemeth and bassist Massimo Biolcati, who grew up in Sweden and Italy. On Loueke's dance card, there's hardly a week without a gig, scarcely a venue or city untouched, a jazz style or band setup unrepresented. If a film were to be made of Loueke's career to date, the pivotal scene would be his audition in 2001 for admission into the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the University of Southern California. As Blanchard, the program's artistic director, recalls, "We asked Lionel to play 'Moment's Notice.' He started playing rhythmic patterns and vocalizing off the tune's melody, and we all looked at each other. We were floored." Hancock and Shorter were also members of the audition jury. "I turned to Wayne, just as he was turning to me," Hancock says. "We didn't even have to say it; we just knew: This guy is bad! We're going to hear more from him." Parlato was the only vocalist auditioning that day, slated to perform right after Loueke. "I was listening through the door while I waited," she recalls, "and I could not believe what I heard. Even playing 'Monk's Dream,' he was telling a personal story — his story — and everyone in the room wanted to hear it." ...http://www.jazzhouse.org/...lumenfeld8 He's taken traditional African music, Jazz & Classical techniques and is well on his way to toward the most difficult thing any serious musician can accomplish. What's that? Creating a unique and distinctive voice on his instrument. His latest release... 
...Virgin Forest is currently available (check the video for the label) as an import. Hopefully it'll get some promotion stateside (  awakes from the dream).
Yeah right. A Black man that can really play an instrument, sings in a foreign language and not one reference to "bitches" & "hoes". 
tA  Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 [Edited 12/28/06 10:35am] "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out for him. Thanks 
 No Sonny T?
No Michael B? Ain't NPG! Spider Wisdom: http://bigesayswhat.blogspot.com/ the Manipulations: http://www.myspace.com/themanipulations | |
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Thanks tA!!!!
I saw Lionel perform in Holland just over two weeks ago, he was performing in the Herbie Hancock Quartet, currently on tour! What can I say? This guy is amazing! It sounded like he's got almost every style down! The performance as a whole was great and Herbie, being the awesome musician & entertainer he is, gave his musicians all the space & time they were entitled to. Lionel at one point tore the place up, giving away an almost Prince-like solo which put us in a sheer of excitement!!! 
I didn't know him before but I will check out his music fo'sho!!!  | |
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...
  great guitarist, I saw footage of him playing with Herbie Hancock in Tokyo, in 2005.....
... " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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abierman said: Thanks tA!!!!
I saw Lionel perform in Holland just over two weeks ago, he was performing in the Herbie Hancock Quartet, currently on tour! What can I say? This guy is amazing! It sounded like he's got almost every style down! The performance as a whole was great and Herbie, being the awesome musician & entertainer he is, gave his musicians all the space & time they were entitled to. Lionel at one point tore the place up, giving away an almost Prince-like solo which put us in a sheer of excitement!!!
I didn't know him before but I will check out his music fo'sho!!! Gotta catch this cat somewhere live for sure. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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 There will never, ever be time enough to catch up with all the good music recommendations I get here. I barely find time to enjoy the old music I know and love. | |
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thebige said: Interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out for him. Thanks
You're welcome. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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paligap said: ...
great guitarist, I saw footage of him playing with Herbie Hancock in Tokyo, in 2005.....
...  Why does that sound familiar?
tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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TommyRoss said: There will never, ever be time enough to catch up with all the good music recommendations I get here. I barely find time to enjoy the old music I know and love. Be well my friend.
tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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theAudience said: paligap said: ...
great guitarist, I saw footage of him playing with Herbie Hancock in Tokyo, in 2005.....
... Why does that sound familiar?
'cause it is, 
... " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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paligap said: theAudience said: Why does that sound familiar?
'cause it is,
... 
tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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