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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh jazz sounds., March 26, 2008
The album's title is the Swahili word for 'welcome'.
Born in Benin, West Africa, he moved to Ivory Coast where he studied at the prestigious National Institute of Art. He lived for a while in Paris and then moved to US where he studied at the Berkllee School of Music in Boston, where he majored in performing jazz performance.
The Africam musician has released some solo work, as well asworking on many other artist projects including one of his hero's, Herbie Hancock. Loueke was featured on Hancock's Grammy-winning "The Joni Letters". Hancock also plays on two tracks on Karibu.
The style of Loueke's music is something that is not heard often. The African influence is very obvious. There are no lyrics on the album except for the occasional spoken word but it is not in English. The mouth however is used for percussion, which is something different.
Comparisons can be made between Loueke and Richard Bona, this Cameroonian also coupling voice and high-bass guitar, playing in the mellow Afro-jazzy manner.
As said above, KARIBU means WELCOME in Swahili.
It is this warm sentiment which underscores the African guitarist's debut album for Blue Note.
Sprinkling African sounds over a smooth jazz palette, Loueke presents himself as a master of subtlety and joie de vivre.
He possesses a gently cascading quality that's akin to the silken lightness proffered by Pat Metheny.
There are two covers on the set - John Coltrane's "Naima" and the Hoagy Carmichael tune "Skylark". The seven originals blend Loueke's influences into a fresh sound. With faint vocals in his native Swahili, Loueke offers rich, free-form explorations.
The version of John Coltrane's "Naima" opens with electronic quietness, tongue-clicks mixing with string-strikes, opening up into kora-chords, as Loueke mimics the West African harp-lute sound.
Lionel sounds like he's playing an acoustic guitar on most of these tracks, but invariably feeding it through a bank of subtle effects.
Hancock and Shorter appear on two tracks apiece, and their presence tends to add a much-needed tension, to the point where they can't help dominating the three tunes in question (they're both on board for the stand-out "Light Dark"). Herbie lends a percussive force to his piano outpourings, and Wayne's quicksilver soprano saxophone phrases spout forth without pause: the battle between the instruments in this song really lends itself well and is actually soothing.
These tracks have a greater dynamism compared with the too-relaxed trio outings.
One of the best tracks is "Benny's Tune". The style really flows well and the music from this point onward on the CD really picks up.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Joyous, April 3, 2008
Oh, man. This is really good. As "the bomba" says, a lot of African influence here. Seems to let air and sunshine into the textures of every tune. Makes me smile to hear it.
Sometimes the groove is explicit, as in the beautifully sculpted "Naima." More often the groove is implicit -- now that's an interesting trick. Loueke and his sidemen play above, below, around, beside the beat in such a way that you actually hear (sense) the rhythmic foundation mainly through its absence. That make sense? Wait till you've heard it.
Incidentally, for all the good things that were said about this recording, I don't think bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth got nearly enough credit. This is a band, folks! It takes the three of these guys to create these fluid, incredibly inventive takes on standards and originals. They get airborne *together*. Seriously, it is obvious that this trio has done enough gigging to know each other's moves, and how to fit together. One of Loueke's strengths is that he is a phenomenally generous ensemble musician.
Yes, of course he has conventional jazz chops. Yes, Hancock and Shorter "dominate" the cuts they appear on to some extent. But they also share in the joyous give and take established by the leader.
There is a sense of peace and stillness at the heart of much of this music, and yet it's also just jumping with vitality. Both the stillness and the life owe a lot, somehow, to Loueke's African roots.
I am just so glad I have this.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lionel Loueke - Karibu, July 20, 2008
An excellent, unique piece of work. Every time I listen to this album I hear something new.
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~ Charles Lloyd Quartet
~ Brad Mehldau
~ Cassandra Wilson
~ Various Artists
~ Gonzalo Rubalcaba
by Lionel Loueke 
