Lionel Loueke.
On the first day of February 2023, nearly 200 people listen to jazz guitarist and singer Lionel Loueke in the large hall of the New Town Hall on Charles Square in Prague. The environment in which the opening concert of the Jazz Meets World festival is held is more than worthy. The Renaissance hall with its polished wooden floor and remnants of sixteenth-century murals is a fitting platform for a unique musical experience. We know from the informal introduction and other accompanying materials that the performance is dedicated to one of music's geniuses, the eighty-two-year-old American pianist and composer Herbie Hancock. It was Hancock who recruited the young African guitarist into his musical ensemble and opened the way for his artistic career. In addition, he had already helped him to study at prestigious music schools (e.g. Berklee). More than two years ago, Loueke released an album eloquently titled HH, where he professes his admiration for his great role model in a total of fourteen tracks. Born in 1973, the Benin-born, US-based musician conceives of his current series of performances as a soloist. The Prague concert, with a running time of just over eighty minutes including an encore, is conceived as a performance where virtually all the compositions come from the aforementioned HH album (2020). Lionel mentions Herbie several times, but mainly plays his own compositions based on Hancock's compositions. Most notable are Cantaloupe Island (1964), where the performer's ability to set the rhythm, hold the bass line and prelude at the same time shines through. The seven-string acoustic guitar, which Lionel wields brilliantly, allows him to work better with deeper notes thanks to the addition of the H string. He manages to fill the entire space of the large hall with intelligible sound through a combination of string tones, guitar licks, slap technique and vocals. Another standout track is Rockit (1983), which Lionel carefully introduces by asking if listeners are ready for really strange sounds. Using effects (loop, harmonizer, delay, hall, wah wah, and more), Loueke plays a version of the motif made famous in the movie Cop from Beverly Hills in a way that is unusual, novel, but impressive. Listeners are also pleased with another of Hancock's compositions, Butterfly (1994), where the guitar equilibristics are complemented by humming, rhythmic breathing and subtle tempo munching. With a gentle smile on his face and glasses on his eyes, Lionel Loueke gives a modest and focused impression. He thanks the audience several times for their applause, and after the show, he takes to talking to the more adventurous in the foyer who want a little extra experience. A beautiful intimate performance in an inspiring setting is a nice intermezzo in the everyday busy spectacle.
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