Black Cab Jazz launches its four-night jazz extravaganza with a powerhouse duo. Grammy-nominated vocalist Gretchen Parlato and guitarist Lionel Loueke each have shining individual careers, but when these long-time friends come together to create music, magic results. This year they released Lean In, an album that combines Parlato’s immersion in Brazilian music with Loueke’s interest in West African rhythms rooted in his home country Benin. Calling the record a “collaboration of the soul,” the pair arrives at the Hammer4 Studio’s intimate cabaret-style space to give these joyful songs new life.
Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke
Fri, 7pm, $35+
Hammer4 Studio, San Jose
