Benin born guitarist, Lionel Loueke is one of the most prolific jazz players in the world today. He is a gentle virtuoso with a husky, sincere baritone and a melting falsetto that smoothly trickles down into the souls of his listeners. He has used his remarkable musical experiences to create his own unique sound as a guitarist, composer, and bandleader. Lionel has performed and recorded with almost every great jazz musician of his time, including Kenwood Dennard , Alphonso Jonhson, Dianne Reeves, Carlos Santana, and Gretchen Parlato just to mention a few.

He has also recorded two albums under his own name, namely “In a Trance” and “Virgin Forest”. On March 25, 2008 Lionel released “Karibu”, his first major label release under the famous Blue Notes Record. Karibu, a Swahili word meaning ‘welcome’, is a fitting name that invites the world to his unique music and coming of age as a virtuoso performer. The album features his long-standing trio of bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth, as well as rare guest appearances by the legendary Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

So how did this 34 year old from a small country in West Africa get to reach such heights?
Lionel was born in Benin and according to him “music was part of everyday life, but not in the family.” Fortunately an older brother played guitar and was part of an Afro-Pop band. At the age of 17, his brother finally allowed him to pick up his guitar, and Lionel quickly realized that he had a great flair for the instrument. In addition to Afro-Pop, Lionel was also captivated with the traditional music of Benin, Nigeria, Congo, Mali and Senegal. However he fell in love most with jazz when he first listened to a George Benson CD that a friend brought from Paris.

After deciding to pursue music more seriously, Lionel left Benin to attend the National Institute of Art in the Ivory Coast. It was in Ivory Coast that he stumbled by chance into his first professional gig. In 1994, he left Africa for Paris to pursue Jazz studies at the American School of Modern Music. After graduation, he won a scholarship to attend Berklee and so moved to the United States. It was at Berklee that he first met Massimo Biolcati and Ferenc Nemeth. Through jam sessions, the trio developed an immediate bond that has lasted to date. The trio was later accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles, where Lionel met his greatest mentors Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Terence Blanchard. Lionel became a prominent member of Hancook’s quartet, touring extensively and recording on the Grammy-nominated, “River: The Joni Letters”.

Lionel Loueke’s journey has taken him through adversity; across three continents; brought him under the mentorship of music legends, and landed him at the most famous Jazz record label in the world. I want to believe that the journey has just become for our African gem. You are made of the stuff legends are made of and as the African sun rises each day, remember that the spirit of a whole continent is behind you, Lionel.