by Dr. Valerie Wardlaw, LA Sentinel, June 28, 2023
The intersection of their natural talents leaves you with a warmth that encircles your entire body and transports your imagination to your favorite parts of the world.
You are missing a sweet treat if you have never heard Lionel Loueke and Gretchen Parlato. Grammy-nominated Parlato and acclaimed guitarist Loueke met in 2001 at USC’s Thelonious Monk Institute, renamed in 2019 and now called the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, based at UCLA. Since then, the friends have collaborated and recently released their first album, “Lean In.” They are an exceptional talent to behold, and Hancock, who has nurtured both artists, must be bursting with pride.
From Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It” to Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly” and Parlato and Loueke’s penned “Lean In,”; the rhythm of Loueke’s West African roots, he is Benin-born and LA native Parlato who has an affinity for Brazilian music was heard throughout their set. And the added treat was Parlato’s husband, Mark Guiliana, on percussion. The intersection of their natural talents leaves you with a warmth that encircles your entire body and transports your imagination to your favorite parts of the world.