by Jess Williams, Rochester Beacon, June 30, 2023
It’s mesmerizing how well the two understood and supported each other; this type of musicianship can really only be found in a pair as tight as this one. The musicians seemed to enter a flow-like state in each song, completely involved in what they were playing.
Day 7 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival started off strong with Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke, two musicians who have been working together for more than 20 years. Their synergy is especially notable, with the duo perfectly in sync as they breeze through complex melodies and overlapping rhythms.
Both are vocalists, Parlato doing most of the melodic heavy lifting, and Loueke in charge of vocal harmony and percussion. Loueke places clicks and other vocal syllabic fragments in between singing, making his voice an entire rhythm section. This multi-purpose vocal approach, along with his guitar playing support to Parlato’s voice as she sings pleasant and catchy songs that are often written and arranged by the two of them.
“She’s my sister from another mother,” Loueke told us.
It’s mesmerizing how well the two understood and supported each other; this type of musicianship can really only be found in a pair as tight as this one. The musicians seemed to enter a flow-like state in each song, completely involved in what they were playing.
Most of the songs they played are from their new album “Lean In,” which was released a week ago. The album, just like the set they played at the Jazz Fest, is full of vocal jazz songs influenced by Latin and West African music, as well as pop and R&B music. They were pretty experimental too, especially with Parlato’s song “Juju,” which Loueke transformed with some unpredictable and dissonant guitar texturing. This song, as well as the rest of their performance, was unique and enchanting.