Monday, June 16, 2025

7:30 PM

*AT SCRIPPS RESEARCH AUDITORIUM*

June 16 (at Scripps Research) features the all-star duo of bassist Dave Holland and Lionel Loueke on guitar and voice, playing music from their forthcoming release, United. Holland makes a long-awaited return to the Athenaeum series, having last performed at the Scripps Research Hall in 2007. Holland’s passion for musical expression of all styles has propelled a career of more than 50 years and earned him top honors, including multiple GRAMMY awards and the title of NEA Jazz Master in 2017. His virtuosic technique and rhythmic feel are widely revered and in much demand. To date, his playing can be heard on hundreds of recordings, with more than 30 as a leader under his own name. Loueke last appeared at the library in summer 2023. A native of Benin, he came to the United States on a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and from there gained acceptance to the Thelonious Monk [now Herbie Hancock] Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles. Praised by his mentor Hancock as “a musical painter,” Loueke combines harmonic sophistication, soaring melody, and conventional and extended guitar techniques to create a warm and evocative sound of his own.

The duo of Holland and Loueke embodies a soulful conversation between two masters, merging their unique voices into something beautifully transcendent. The album is a profound testament to true collaboration, beautifully fusing Loueke’s rich West African roots with Holland’s profound influence on modern jazz.