Lionel Loueke

Loueke picked up the guitar at the late age of 17. After his initial exposure to jazz in
Benin, he left to attend the National Institute of Art in Ivory Coast. In 1994, he left
Africa to pursue jazz studies at the American School of Modern Music in Paris, then
he came to the U.S. on a scholarship to Berklee. After graduating, Loueke was
accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute, where he was able to study with his
most significant mentors: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Terence Blanchard.

 

Praised by Hancock as “a musical painter,” Loueke combines harmonic complexity, soaring
melody, a deep knowledge of African folk forms, and conventional and extended guitar techniques
to create a warm and evocative sound of his own. His Blue Note debut Karibu (2008) featured guest
appearances from Hancock and Shorter with his trio and was met with wide acclaim. Mwaliko (2010)
offered a series of intimate duets with Angelique Kidjo, Richard Bona, Esperanza Spalding, and
Marcus Gilmore. Heritage (2012) was coproduced by label mate Robert Glasper and found Loueke
exploring a more electric sound with a new trio, featuring Derrick Hodge on electric bass and Mark
Guiliana on drums.

Leo Genovese
Leo Genovese was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, in 1979, amid the psychedelic
sound and language of his generation. After studying classical and contemporary
music in his homeland, he moved to Boston to play jazz.

A keyboardist and composer, Genovese currently leads a band called The
| Chromatic Gauchos, a powerful avant-garde ensemble, and is a cofounder of the
group The Sewer Ratz. These days, Genovese tours with Esperanza Spalding'’s band,
whlch keeps him globetrotting and playing all kinds of venues, from Carnegie Hall to under a tree at
a side of a non-existent road.

Genovese bakes bread, directs amateur films, owns cassettes, loves the sun, and is currently
teaching himself how to play the saxophone.

 

Chris Cheek

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Chris Cheek began playing the alto sax at the age of 12.
Thanks to a strong public school music program and a highly supportive family,
Cheek had good educational and performance experiences from the very beginning.
While attending Webster University, Cheek played with a variety of local jazz and
blues bands, including legendary saxophonist Willie Akins's group, and the Bob
Kuban Brass. Cheek moved to Boston in 1988 to attend Berklee, where he

studied with Herb Pomeroy, Joe Viola, and Hal Crook.

In 1992, Cheek moved to New York and since then has toured and recorded with Paul Motian,
Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, The Bloomdaddies, and the Orquestra de Jazz de
Matosinhos. Cheek has also played with Bill Frisell, Brian Blade, Lee Konitz, Carla Bley, Tom Harrell,
Wolfgang Muthspiel, Frank Carlberg, Eliot Zigmund, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, EI Muchacho,
and many others.

In addition to appearing on numerous CDs as a sideman, Cheek has recorded four albums as a

 

leader for Fresh Sound Records. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.