Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke

United

Edition

In a rather convoluted way, this collaboration between the legendary bassist Dave Holland and the Beninse guitarist Lionel Loueke seems fated. The common link, rather indirectly, is Herbie Hancock. Holland joined Miles Davis as he was transitioning to fusion on Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968) where he played with Hancock. We all know that Herbie left after that album but Holland continued with Miles through his fertile fusion period. Ironically, Louke has been a stalwart member of Hancock’s band for the past five or six years.  The England-born Holland and the Benin-born (West Africa) Loueke obviously come from vastly different backgrounds and cultures but are emphatically making a statement on United.  As Loueke says, “Music is what we do, but it is not who we are. Who we are is about listening, about being open to one another.That’s what United is really about – a collective effort to understand, to connect, and to move forward together.”  No, that is not a political statement but it’s timely in this age of divisiveness.

 We’ve covered both at some point on these pages, most prominently Loueke who turned in brilliant performances on his duo album with vocalist Gretchen Parlato on Lean In and with bassist Yosef Gutman Levitt’s Soul Song. If you’ve heard wither of those records or other recordings of Loueke, you know he plays  a 7-string guitar in a highly percussive way, often adding vocals. You’ll hear that same sound here, together with one of the all-time best bassists. They are indeed truly connected through eleven tracks that run for a full 65 minutes. Loueke’s percussive approach blends beautifully with Holland’s robust acoustic bass as you’ll hear on the opening “Essaouria” and throughout. It almost sounds like a third member, a percussionist, is present when either one solos.  The music clearly has a West African flavor and Loueke is likely singing in his native language, yet the groove is unsurprisingly thick.

Tracks such as “Pure Thought,”  “Chant,” and “Life Goes On” are mellower and highly lyrical while the balance of the album boasts the infectious grooves, sterling interplay, and jaw-drop soloing characteristic of the opener. The music breathes so freely that listening goes from contagious to hypnotic to at times just mesmerizing.  This collaboration, as we’ve learned was rather serendipitous but as we point out in our opening, was seemingly deemed to happen. We’re blessed by having these two giants forge such a unique sound, as only they can.. Once again, it proves that music is such a powerful connector.

–  Jim Hynes

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