New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Pianist and composer Harold López-Nussa has released his irrepressible Blue Note Records debut Timba a la Americana, a vibrant album teeming with joy and pathos that was inspired by the pianist's recent decision to leave his Cuban homeland to begin a new life in France. Produced by Michael League (Snarky Puppy), Timba a la Americana presents 10 dynamic new original compositions performed by a tight-knit band featuring harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret, Luques Curtis on bass, Bárbaro "Machito" Crespo on congas, and Harold's brother Ruy Adrián López-Nussa on drums. Harold discussed the album on the latest episode of "First Look" with Blue Note President Don Was.
Harold felt a strong urge to escape the conventional thinking about song form and structure that's defined Latin jazz since the 1950s. In collaboration with League, the bassist and founder of Snarky Puppy, the two sought new settings for the clave patterns that are the heartbeat of Cuban music. They grabbed elements of danzon, the foundational dance that began in Matanzas in the late 1800s, and the stately son tumbao riffs that frame the songs of Benny Moré and so many others. They worked with ancient bata drum rhythms used to summon the deities, then incorporated them into the choppy polyrhythmic agitations of modern improvising collectives. They linked the catcalling mambos of
Dizzy Gillespie and Machito to modern ideas about song structure.
The result is Harold's most expansive and ambitious work to date, a provocative, lavishly colorful song cycle that amounts to a top-to-bottom modernization of Latin jazz. Cuba provides the anchoring point of origin; from there Harold and his band volley ideas in a spirit of cosmopolitan modernity that transcends regions and genres and eras. Harold credits League with cultivating a creative fearlessness in the studio. "He wants whatever can expand the possibilities - he just gets ideas flying around. And what amazed me, as we went on, was how he stayed inside the energy we had when we first played together."
Harold will be bringing his thrilling live show across the world this Fall with performances in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. See below for a full list of tour dates or visit haroldlopeznussa.com.
Harold López-Nussa - 2023 Tour Dates:
Aug. 11 - Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic - Piaristické námestí
Aug. 26 - Warsaw, Poland - Old Town Festival
Sept. 2 - Nantes, France - Rendez-Vous de l'Erdre
Sept. 6 - Mannheim, Germany - Alte Feuerwache-Halle
Sept. 7 - Paris, France - Philharmonie de Paris
Sept. 8 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - LantarenVenster
Sept. 10 - St-Luc, Switzerland - Jazz sous les étoiles
Sept. 28-29 - Tokyo, Japan - Blue Note Tokyo
Oct. 16 - Chalons-en-champagne, France - La Comete
Oct. 17-18 - La Rochelle, France - La Coursive
Oct. 19 - Madrid, Spain - Sala
Villanos Club
Oct. 21 - Harelbeke, Belgium - Jazzontspooring
Oct. 23 - Ciudad Real, Spain - Universijazz
Nov. 4 - Boston, MA - City Winery Boston
Nov. 5 - Rockport, MA - Shalin Liu Performance Center
Nov. 6 - New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club
Nov. 9 - Bethesda, MD - AMP by Strathmore
Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Chris' Jazz Cafe
Nov. 11 - Cape May, NJ - Exit Zero Jazz Festival
Nov. 12 - Chicago, IL - City Winery Chicago
Nov. 14 - Indianapolis, IN - The Jazz Kitchen
Nov. 15 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cultural Center
Nov. 16 - St. Louis, MO - City Winery St. Louis
Nov. 17 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blue Llama Jazz Club
Nov. 18 - Denver, CO - Dazzle
Nov. 29 - Berkeley, CA - Freight & Salvage
Nov. 30 -
Santa Cruz, CA - Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Dec. 1 - Portland, OR - The Jack London Revue
Dec. 3-4 - Boise, ID - The Sapphire Room
