The Blue Note debut of Benin-born guitarist/ vocalist Lionel Loueke arrives as an ear-opening delight in the wake of his five-year span of creative bloom. Not only did Loueke record two fine CDs for indie ObliqSound (one as a member of the collective Gilfema), but he was also enlisted to perform and record with such top-tier jazz artists as Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. All three praised Loueke's singular style of jagged geometric shapes, shifting time signatures, ebullient African-pop groove, guitar-wordless vocal unison/ counterpoint lines and sweet lyricism, which are on full display here. "Karibu" not only spotlights Gilfema's innovative rhythm team of bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth but also features guests Hancock and Shorter, who soar with Loueke into exhilarating improvisational flight on "Light Dark." The nine-track journey, which opens with the sunny, syncopated title track and ends with the juju-like "Nonvignon," marks this year's first major jazz revelation. —Dan Ouellette