Benin born guitarist Lionel Loueke made a name for himself on the concert circuit and was spotted by none other than Herbie Hancock who championed his talents and passed on the good word to trumpeter Terence Blanchard who in turn used Loueke’s services. Subsequently Loueke has released a trio of well received albums on the independent label Obliquesound, gaining a reputation in France, before moving to Blue Note for this big label debut. In recent years African artists and jazz have enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Richard Bona and the Kora Jazz Trio being just two of the more successful ventures and Dee Dee Bridgewater returning the compliment in the opposite direction. For ‘Karibu’ Loueke plays in a tight trio and, with the exception of three standards, pens all the other compositions. What immediately strikes is the degree of improvisation and abstraction to many of the pieces and their freshness, notably the radical reworking of the standard ‘Skylark’ which is one of the album’s highlights. On a couple of numbers Loueke enlists the support of Hancock and Wayne Shorter. It is the latter who contributes a gorgeous soprano sax solo to Coltrane’s ‘Naima’ which features lovely percussion.
Loueke’s playing has a melodic folksy feel in parts and with scat vocals a la George Benson, he may in time gain popularity outside jazz circles. Perhaps, his own compositions could veer less towards the abstract and stress both the African and Brazilian influences which he was exposed to as a youth, but there is no questioning the promise of talent on offer, nor the rapport between Loueke and the other musicians. The duet with Hancock on ‘Seven teens’ is worth the admission price alone. A very promising future beckons for Loueke.
