MUSIC

Da Camera of Houston presents the Lionel Loueke Trio, Saturday, February 5, 2011; at 8:00 PM, in the Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center.

Originally from the West African nation of Benin, guitarist Lionel Loueke (pictured) has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past several years. Praised by his mentor Herbie Hancock as “a musical painter,” he has appeared on numerous standout recordings such as Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters and Terence Blanchard’s Flow. Loueke’s Blue Note debut, Karibu, established him as one of the brightest new stars on the scene.

Loueke combines harmonic sophistication, soaring melody, a deep knowledge of African music, and conventional and extended guitar techniques to create a warm and evocative sound of his own. JazzTimes wrote "Loueke's lines are smartly formed and deftly executed. His ear-friendly melodicism draws both from traditional African sources and a lifetime of closely studying the likes of Jim Hall and George Benson, and his rhythmic shifts come quickly and packed with surprises."

“A startlingly original voice…one of the most striking jazz artists to emerge in some time.” —The New York Times

The jazz series also includes Tierney Sutton Band, Anat Cohen, Stefon Harris and Blackout, Geri Allen, and the supergroup WATTS with Jeff "Tain" Watts, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride and David Sanchez.