Lionel Loueke Trio

Lionel Loueke, the guitarist who for many was the highlight of Herbie Hancock’s recent Tripod show, returns to Dublin for what will be an intimate and very memorable two night stand. Steeped in the folklore of his native Benin and neighbouring countries like Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, Loueke has been creating a sensation in US jazz circles, and has just made his debut for Blue Note with Karibu, a beautiful and uplifting evocation of African culture heard through the prism of jazz guitar trio. To hear Loueke in full flight is remarkable, as flowing lines with tasteful chromatic punctuation are heard over deep, magnetic African grooves that move effortlessly between meters.

On occasion, he’ll casually prepare the guitar to imply the percussive effects of African thumb pianos, ushering him into absorbing, very individual free playing, or accompany himself vocally with his engaging hybrid of scat and African click language. America’s greatest musicians like Hancock have been eager to embrace this potent voice, but Loueke has kept it real throughout, and he performs in Dublin with his long standing trio from college days at Berklee, Swedish bassist Massimo Biolcati and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth. Together, they share an empathic rapport in a special space where jazz and African music meets.

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