Guitarist Lionel Loueke has had an impressive career as a sideman with the likes of Terence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock, as well as a fledging go as a solo act. Each of his own releases gets incrementally better, solid and consistent than the previous, and this one is close to the apotheosis. His changed the band around with new guys Derrick Hodge on electric bass and Mark Guiliana on drums. The electric bass is part of the change in sound created by producer Robert Glasper, who’s been melding u0rban rhythms with mainstream jazz. Judiciously, Glasper only brings dashes and hints of hip hop rhythms, using them as spices and not the main dish on pieces like “Tribal Dance” and “Bayyinah.” The melding of West African themes, sounds and meters, as well as Loueke’s own lithe guitar work, with the hint of urban funk is as excellent a combination as a pina colada cheesecake. Gentle grooves belie the tricky guitar work on “Ouidah,” while vocalist Gretchan Parlato breezes like a wind in the Sahel on “Hope.” The interplay between the musicians, with Glasper adding occasional keyboards is like the coalescence of colors on an oil painting in the hands of a master. There’s not a music fan alive that won’t find something about this disc to cherish. He’ll be at Vitello’s in LA Oct 20th. Don’t miss it at www.vitellosrestaurant.com