Lionel Loueke

Lionel Loueke began with vocals and percussion and came to the guitar later in life, at the age of 17. After being exposed to jazz in Benin, he attended the National Institute of the Arts in nearby Ivory Coast. In 1994, he left Africa to study jazz at the American School of Modern Music in Paris, Berklee College of Music, and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles. Praised as a "musical painter" by his mentor Herbie Hancock, Lionel Loueke combines harmonic sophistication, soaring melodies, a deep knowledge of African music, and conventional and extended guitar techniques to create a warm and evocative sound that is all his own.  Lionel Loueke has released several albums to critical acclaim. He has also participated in numerous outstanding recordings, such as Terence Blanchard's Grammy-nominated Flow (2005) and Hancock's Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters (2008), and toured the world as a member of Hancock's band for more than ten years. At Culturescapes 2023 Sahara, he will present music from his latest album, "HH," on which he reinterprets Herbie Hancock's best-known compositions by adding his trademark guitar slaps, as well as vocal and effects pedals, to move from intimate expression to symphonic arrangements. Website Spotify