The Journey

Herbie Hancock was reputedly knocked out by Benin-born Lionel Loueke's guitar playing. It is indeed something special. On ‘Guira’, he makes an acoustic guitar sound like a kora, while his electric guitar shimmers like Pat Metheny's (at his least self-indulgent). His often wordless singing is equally arresting, ranging from the sadness of ‘Vi Gnin’ (My Child), his homage to migrants fleeing war, to the uplifting improvisation of ‘Mandé’, full of the joyful clicks he borrows from Miriam Makebe. Loueke was a drummer before he turned to the guitar and it is the delicate atmospheric percussion – courtesy of the Brazilian master, Cyro Baptista, and childhood friend, Christi Joza Orisha – that helps to define The Journey as a ‘world jazz’ album rooted in African and Brazilian traditions.

Guests of the quality of saxophonist John Ellis and the ubiquitous French cellist Vincent Segal add memorable contributions throughout. By the time Loueke's haunting voice fades slowly out on the final, unaccompanied ‘The Healing’, it's as if we, too, have been on a musical journey (in his words) ‘taking us far beyond conventions.’ Produced with impeccable taste by Grammy-winning producer Robert Sadin, this is a riveting album that demands our undivided attention.