Lionel Loueke
- Buy Tickets
- Tuesday, June 3 at 8:30 pm
- FlynnSpace
- $23
Lionel Loueke, guitar; Massimo Biolcati, bass; Ferenc Nemeth, drums
“Mr. Loueke is a gentle virtuoso. He multiplies himself, one way or another, in nearly every song.”
—The New York Times
A native of Benin now living in New York, Lionel Loueke is one of the brightest and most original young stars in jazz today. He began by playing Afro-pop and traditional African guitar music, but an encounter with the jazz music of George Benson changed the direction of Loueke’s music career and he developed a unique sound that fused jazz traditions with his African roots. Loueke attended the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and began playing with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. After hearing Loueke’s audition tape, Herbie Hancock exclaimed, “I’d never heard any guitar player play anything close to what I was hearing from him. There was no territory that was forbidden, and he was fearless!” He has performed and recorded with such legends as Blanchard, Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Sting and Carlos Santana. After recording two albums with Blanchard, Loueke formed his own trio, which just released their latest album, Karibu, on the legendary Blue Note label.
Read a recent New York Times article on Lionel Loueke.
