By Angelo Leonardi, All About Jazz,
Gretchen Parlato's sophisticated interpretations are underpinned by lively musical imagination and Loueke's imaginative instrumental contributions are a key stimulus.
The recording collaborations between the Los Angeles vocalist and the Benin guitarist begin in the two-year period 2005/2006. First came Gretchen Parlato, the singer's debut album, and a few months later Virgin Forest (Obliqsound), Loueke's third work which already included Herbie Hancock. In the following years the two interpreters continued to collaborate in various contexts favoring common affinities: contemporary jazz, love for ethnic music (the rhythms in particular) of Africa and Brazil, some pop suggestions and experimentation open to rock and black popular music.
Their first duo album was released a few days ago, the result of a project conceived in the months of closure of the pandemic (with Gretchen confined to Los Angeles and Lionel in Luxembourg) and materialized in early March 2022, in one of the guitarist's frequent stays in the USA.
Lean in unfolds in nine songs performed in duo and in three performances that see the addition of bassist Burniss Travis and drummer Mark Guiliana. An intriguing journey, with the voices of the two performers (especially Gretchen of course) standing out on a colorful rhythmic fabric with an afro-beat imprint with occasional electric additions.
Some tracks on the disc see the grafting of West African melodies and rhythms into harmonies and timbres related to jazz and contemporary popular music. Radiant and singable climates such as the opening piece "Akwê" exposed by the two voices in unison on a text in the Fon language, the indigenous language of Benin. But the sources of inspiration are many, as evidenced immediately after "I Miss You" and "If I Knew." The first track belongs to the repertoire of Bernadette Cooper's all-female rock band Klymaxx and the Parlato/Loueke duo give us a version with lively timing, far more engaging than the original. A hypnotic afrobeat groove (and clear blues accents) instead characterizes "If I Knew," with the central contribution of Travis and Guiliana and a long intervention by Loueke.
Gretchen Parlato's sophisticated interpretations are underpinned by lively musical imagination and Loueke's imaginative instrumental contributions are a key stimulus. In some passages his guitar expresses the poignant inflections of a Portuguese guitar and this aspect leads us directly to the ties with the Lusitanian culture and Brazil. "Many think I'm Brazilian because of my particular sense of rhythm - says Loueke - but Benin was Portuguese before being a French colony and many ex-slaves returned from Brazil bringing their culture". The Brazilian references of the disc are evident in the languid gait of "Muse" and in the rarefied version of "Astronauta" by Carlos Pingarilho and Marcos Vasconcellos.
Closing it out is the well-known Foo Fighters hit "Walking After You." It is in our opinion the most conventional reinterpretation of the album but in no way detracts from the success of the work.
Album of the week.