The third studio album by
Gilfema, the aptly titled
Three finds the expansive international trio led by West African guitarist and vocalist
Lionel Loueke investigating a richly textured and harmonically engaging sound. Recorded in one epic 12-hour session, these are groove-oriented tracks rife with funky rhythms, nuanced solos, and global influences. Joining
Loueke again are his longtime bandmates, Swiss-born bassist
Massimo Biolcati (who also produced) and Hungarian drummer
Ferenc Nemeth. Friends since they first met at Boston's Berklee College of Music in the late '90s, the trio also work together regularly in
Loueke's numerous solo projects. However,
Gilfema stands uniquely as a democratic project in which each member brings his own songs to the table. Three is their first album in 12 years, and the wait definitely reflects the level of quality that they reserve for songs released under the
Gilfema banner. You can hear how the tracks connect to
Loueke's solo work, but the album still stands distinctively on its own. The opening "Teke" is a spiraling fusion number that evokes a mix of '60s
John Coltrane and '70s
Mahavishnu Orchestra. There's also a futuristic edge to the track, as
Loueke inserts a call-and-response solo section that sounds like his guitar is having an intergalactic conversation with a groovy robot. Also bringing to mind a classic fusion aesthetic is
Nemeth's Afro-funk-leaning "Happiness," which finds
Loueke's wah-wah riffs and repeated vocals dancing off
Biolcati's kinetic bass line, all before a breathy vocal-and-synth melody descends from the cosmos. There are also several vibrant co-written pieces here, as on
Loueke and
Biolcati's sprightly "Brio" and their slow, gut-bucket blues song "Algorithm Blues." No less engaging are the more languid and intimate moments like the ones you hear on
Loueke's beachy, West African-meets-Cuban song "Fleuve Congo" and the warm "Le." Particularly compelling is the trio's sparkling rendition of
Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing," inventively rearranged by
Biolcati in a wonderfully odd time signature that adds to the song's lilting, poignant beauty. ~ Matt Collar