Bio

Lionel Loueke was born in 1973 in Benin, West Africa. He would relocate to the Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art. In 1994, he moved to Paris to attend The American School of Modern Music. Shortly after his time in Paris he was accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute in Los Angeles where he would meet his eventual mentor, Herbie Hancock. Lionel Loueke’s style is unique due to his roots. He is undoubtedly a modern master of ‘jazz’, but his unique past also shows he possesses a deep mastery over african music. His style on the guitar fuses these two, as well as countless other inspirations of his into one sleek and uniquely 21st century style. A shortlist of some of his collaborators are Fernec Nemeth, Wayne Shorter, Derrick Hodge, Robert Glasper, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Brian Blade, Gretchen Parlato, and Terri Lynne Carrington.