Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke

The series continues on Friday, June 16, with a stellar duo of vocalist Gretchen Parlato and guitarist-vocalist Lionel Loueke. (Please note: at the artists’ request, audience members must be masked or provide proof of vaccination.) They will perform music from their forthcoming album, Lean In, which tells the story of 20 years of connection, inspiration, and friendship between two musical soulmates who first met while studying at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (now Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance) at UCLA. Parlato wrote, “Lean In is all about healing, deep trust, love, and family. In a time when warmth and compassion are needed more than ever before, we felt compelled to make a record sharing songs of inspiration, reflection, wonder, and unity.” In the early 2000s, Parlato and Loueke both emerged as major artists on the rise, with Loueke working with luminaries like Terence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock, and Parlato winning first place in the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition. Parlato made her Athenaeum debut in 2012, and Loueke has appeared in past Athenaeum concerts with both Jeff Ballard and Luciana Souza. DownBeat wrote, “Gretchen Parlato is a singer-arranger of consummate control and slow-burning intensity . . . [she] lives at the crossroads of sensuous and spiritual.” Of Benin-born Loueke, the New York Times wrote, “[He] is one of the most striking jazz artists to emerge in some time . . . a spellbinding presence . . . a startlingly original voice.”

Tickets for the show can be bought online on their website. Doors do open at 7:00 pm to enter the event on a first come, first served basis, so arrive early!