Lionel Loueke / The Jazz Standard / New York City

Reviewed by Christopher McHale

What is a musical instrument?  In Europe, a mysterious bond of glue and wood sets the standard with the indescribable tone of a Stradivarius violin. In Africa, an instrument might be a wood slat, a piece of fencing wire and some bottle caps.  John Coltrane said a shoestring could produce great music if it’s played with great emotion.  Recently at The Jazz Standard on 27^th Street in NYC, the Benin guitarist, Lionel Loueke and his trio straddled all of these worlds with an intricate four-song set, featuring guest pianist Jason Moran.

Loueke is a wily hunter of the musical heart.  Armed with a beautiful piece of Swiss craftsmanship, a Rolf Spuller guitar carved into an almost totemic animal shape, Loueke explores a wide palate of sounds, scrapes, stings, clicks, knocks, rings and burst of pure bop lines in a surprising and enchanting display of multi-cultural reference. Massimo Biocati on bass and Ferene Nemeth on drums jump into Loueke’s demanding musical adventures, at attention and ready to answer whatever piece of divine sonic inspiration comes their way.  The adventures begin from the first chord struck.

Loueke is a self-taught player. He has studied in Paris and in Boston at Berklee, but none of these studies has hindered his personal search for style.  He stretches his thumb away from his palm, tunes his lower strings to what he calls a ‘polyphonic pitch’ and produces full, organ-like accompaniments for his songs.  At certain points, it almost sounds like there is a horn section on stage.

Opening the set with ‘Seven-Teens,’ Loueke’s songs were demanding on the listener and the players.  There is shape and melodic reference, but there are also inspired twists, easy enough to track by the sudden smiles of the players.  Loueke seems to love to challenge his band and himself by darting in and out of different musical detours along his song’s route. 

Guest artist, Jason Moran, joined the group, for the song ‘Twins.’  The pianist kept tight pace with the band, his playing conservative as he followed charts and waited for cues from Loueke.  The guitarist teased the band with feather strikes against tense open voicings, soft and quick clicks coming from his mouth as he set a torrid pace.  The highlight of the journey came toward the end of the song ‘Twins,’ as Loueke let loose a blistering solo of octaves chasing up and down the neck of his instrument.  Moran had no choice but to leap on the end of the guitarist’s riffs and produce a hard-edged solo of his own.  A challenge given and a challenge met.  There was satisfaction on the stage and in the audience at the Jazz Standard which was now fully enrapt and engaged.  The entire set evolved into a game of Musical Clue, the band and the audience led on several surprising musical revelations 

Benin is a nation with a rich heritage.  A vibrant folk scene weaved with strong and insistent strains of Ghanaian highlife, sultry cabaret from the cobbled streets of Paris, the funky and soulful beats of American rock and even jumping Congolese rumba beats. All of it blends to produce a distinctive and fresh music.  Another well-known Benin artist, Angelique Kidjo, also displays wide and surprising influence in her songs. Lionel Loueke embraces this tradition, indeed the wider African tradition of musical and instrument adaptation, and makes his own unique statements 

In places Lionel Loueke deploys a soft baritone voice, singing a simple verse in French, followed by a light chorus, his words served to add a textured envelope to the overall sound.  There is a compelling honesty to the voice, the artist content to make no great demands on the words or the delivery.  The voice is simply there in an inevitable sense and adds an authentic air to the tunes.  The song ‘Flying, had a Scottish air to it, some melody that had floated from the far north long ago and now filtered and evolved in an African song.  Such was the experience listening to Lionel Loueke as surprising influences surfaced and intrigued the imagination.  It simply became a matter of surrender to the artist’s sonic seductions.

Winter’s night in New York are made for discoveries of an artist like Lionel Loueke, the Jazz Standard providing a sonic haven from the chilly streets above.  The set began with announcements from jazz impresario Dan Melnick, as he invited everyone up north this summer to experience his renowned jazz fest in Saratoga.  Melnick spoke about picnics on the lawns and warm summer days and the amazing roster of talent he has assembled, including Lionel Loueke.  But this winter night we ended up taking a quick and hot diversion down to equatorial Africa, led by our able guide, Lionel Loueke, and it is a journey I’d recommend for anyone with a taste for unique musical adventures.

Contributing writer Christopher McHale is a professional writer and composer living in New York City

This review is protected by copyright © All rights are jointly held by Riveting Riffs Magazine and Christopher McHale and this review may not be reproduced in print, on the internet or through any other means without the written permission of Riveting Riffs Magazine