“I attended the Berklee College of Music in the mid ’90s, specifically to learn how to play the guitar properly, and gain comprehensive jazz knowledge,” explains Loueke, who cites the guitar’s versatility and universality as reasons for why it’s an ideal vehicle for merging the ancient and modern. “If I used that knowledge exclusively on African instruments, I would have less flexibility and possibilities. For instance, there’s no such thing as a chromatic kora [a harp-like West African instrument]. In contrast, the guitar is a chromatic instrument, which means I’m able to work within a variety of contexts, as well as take advantage of a lot of things from my background—including using the guitar for African- influenced percussion, and kora and kalimba sounds, switching between them mid-song. For me, the guitar is many instruments in one, and it has unlimited potential.”

One of Karibu’s highlights is an adventurous cover of John Coltrane’s “Naima” performed on his Yamaha AEX 1500—which is part of an arsenal that also includes a Godin Multiac Grand Concert SA and a PRS Hollowbody II. The piece showcases many of Loueke’s unique approaches, as well as contributions from saxophonist and jazz icon Wayne Shorter.

“I didn’t want it to sound like Coltrane’s original version, because his is already so beautiful,” explains Loueke, who fingerpicked the song. “I wanted to bring something different to it, which is why you hear me mimicking both the kora and kalimba. To do that, I use a rectangular piece of paper that’s two inches by one inch, and I weave it up and down through all six strings next to the bridge, and then mute on top of it. When I play with open strings, they vibrate against the paper to give me that ringing, percussive kora or kalimba sound. Another way I make the guitar sound like those instruments is by playing a lot of legato and arpeggio parts with my left hand, and African polyrhythms with my right hand. I also emulate a talking drum with my AEX, because its hollow body and piezo pickup make it ideal for playing percussion on. I use my nails and my ring against various parts of the body to explore higher or lower registers. I also use a DigiTech Whammy pedal to change the pitch of those sounds two octaves higher or lower to make them sound very close to a talking drum. The other way I perform percussion on the guitar is by using harmonics while fingerpicking. That technique worked okay with a pick, but I had to do a lot of jumping around to go from the first to last string with my right hand. When I use my fingers, however, I can really play the polyrhythms easier, and play two to four notes at the same time. It’s like a percussive pianistic approach where you have several lines going simultaneously during a piece of classical music.”

In addition to the DigiTech Whammy, Loueke’s Stompin’ Ground pedalboard includes a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, a Dunlop CryBaby 535Q Multi-Wah Pedal, a Pro Co Rat2, and a Boss RC-20XL Loop Station. He also relies heavily on a self-discovered open tuning that further differentiates his already singular sound.

“The tuning I really like playing in is D, A [an octave up], D, G, B, E, low to high, and I use a G string for the high A,” says Loueke. The combination of two G strings gives me voicings that are closer to the piano than any other tuning. It creates more tension in the voicings, and enables me to do a lot of wide interval playing.”

Loueke’s star may be on the rise, but he has unquestionably paid his dues on the journey.

“There were no music stores in my country when I grew up,” says Loueke. “You could get guitars, but strings had to be ordered from Nigeria. I didn’t have the money for them, anyway. It took me a year to save up to buy a $50 guitar. So, I would do everything to extend the life of my strings—including regularly soaking them in vinegar—but sometimes they would break, and I’d be stuck. So, I came up with the idea of using bicycle brake cables on my guitar. The other problem was the humidity was so high that the neck of my guitar would move around a lot, and there were no luthiers, so I had to see a carpenter to fix it. He didn’t do a great job, and the action was set very high. That, combined with the brake cables, made the instrument very hard to play. It hurt my hands, but I kept at it for years when I first started playing. I was also interested in doing transcriptions, but I didn’t have the tools, so I used dying batteries to slow down the playback of cassettes in order to transcribe by ear. When you live in a country with many challenges, you have to improvise and come up with creative solutions.”

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