lionel loueke heritage rapidshare downloads

It all fits a certain narrative of musicians from the developing world as romantic heroes, battling the odds to bring their own exotic brand of musical redemption to jaded western ears.

Born in 1973 in Benin, a small vertical strip of west Africa sandwiched between Togo and Nigeria, Loueke had a relatively privileged upbringing.

His father was a university mathematics professor and his mother was a schoolteacher, and at first, neither particularly approved of their sons musical aspirations.

My parents wanted a lawyer, or a doctor, one of those, you know It took me years to really prove to them that this was what I wanted to do.

I had never heard anything close to that in my life up to that point.

Then he would position his little cassette recorder in front of the speakers and tape whatever borrowed vinyl he could get his hands on.

He would spend long days poring over his cassettes, learning every phrase by heart, not realising that Benson was improvising.

I couldnt speak a word of English, you know, so everything was by ear, just like the music.

I was just imitating the sounds of the words and trying to sing like him.

Before that, I was singing south African songs, Congolese songs, but when I heard George Benson, it was completely different.

Here was somebody singing the notes with the guitar and that got completely under my skin.

Like, I will forget my mother tongue There was no way it was going to happen.

When I went to France, I knew there were a lot of African musicians playing African music, but I never got in touch with them, because for me, I didnt go to Paris to play African music, I got to Paris to play jazz.

Before he had finished the two-year course, he had already performed with Shorter and Hancock and was touring with Blanchard.

Its the spirit, the human nature, you know, how can you be better in your head.

You know, I played at the White House last year, and I took a photograph with president Obama.

And my father framed it that big a beaming Loueke spreads his long arms wide in the living room.

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Lionel Loueke Heritage Rapidshare Downloads