Lionel Loueke and Dave Holland: Live at Union Chapel

A Monday evening of outstanding jazz came from two duos - relative newcomers Audrey Powne and Lyle Barton, followed by the legends that are Lionel Loueke and Dave Holland.

Dave Holland and Lionel Loueke (c) Sahil Kotwani

The audience at Union Chapel in Islington, North London, obviously knew that it was worth arriving in time for the opening musicians. Trumpeter and vocalist Audrey Powne was joined by the extraordinary pianist Lyle Barton, and together they filled this wonderful space with acoustics and electronics. Powne’s voice and trumpet sound are equally expressive, with exemplary use of the microphone to great effect.

This duo was a great ensemble with which to start a stunning night of jazz.

Once the stage was rearranged, the audience was joined by the unassuming arrival of Dave Holland and Lionel Loueke.

Holland picked up his bass and began grooving, as the duo performed tracks from United, their duo album that grew out of jamming in quiet moments on other people’s tours. These two have, together or separately, played with just about everyone who is anyone in the global jazz scene.

What was particularly joyous was the juxtaposition of Holland’s always reliable and outstanding bass playing with Loueke’s guitar, sometimes also used as percussion, and his voice that was often solo and sometimes an ensemble through electronic wizardry.

The title track United comes from Wayne Shorter, who Holland described as “one our heroes”. He also told us that they had collectively felt that it was an appropriate title for the album. The duo certainly felt musically and emotionally united on stage throughout their performance.

At one point, Luoeke commented that “it is an honour to be on stage with my favourite bass player”. He also shared some of the inspiration for the tune Stranger in the Mirror, saying that it came during the Covid-19 pandemic, and “we should fix the problem before blaming someone else.”

Holland commented on the different childhood and upbringing of the two - Holland who came from Wolverhampton, while Loueke was born in Benin. Both moved to America to really experience the music that inspired and motivated them. This sense of how truly united they both are made every tune (and every track on the album) feel like an expression of that unity, while being absolutely rooted in their separate backgrounds.

The encore (the audience wouldn’t have left without one) came from the truly tranquil Life Goes On, which sent us all away feeling the world was a better place with this music in it.

Listen to ‘United’ now on Bandcamp, and find Audrey Powne’s ‘Broken Record’ on Bandcamp from 17 April