Harold López-Nussa is archiving Cuba’s musical history with his upcoming album Nueva Timba, out September 5 via Blue Note Records. This is the Cuban-born pianist’s 11th studio album to date and his second Blue Note album, the follow-up to 2023’s Timba A La Americana. A live/studio hybrid recording, Nueva Timba was captured live at the Parisian jazz club Le Duc des Lombards and later enhanced in post-production. The music chronicles the life-changing moments in López-Nussa’s life including his relocation to Paris from Cuba, navigating life in a new country as a father and the emotional toil and grief following the passing of his mother.
Family legacy is another recurring theme on the album as López-Nussa seeks to document his own family history through the music. Joining López-Nussa on this album includes Luques Curtis on bass, harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret and López-Nussa’s brother Ruy Adrian López-Nussa on drums. The album cover features a painting by visual artist Leonel López-Nussa, Harold’s grandfather, while the one of the tracks from the album, “Niña Con Violín” was written by his uncle, the acclaimed pianist Ernán López-Nussa.
” ‘Niña con Violín’ has always been part of our family’s soundtrack,” Harold explains. “My uncle Ernán wrote it for a friend of my brother’s, a young violinist, and they played it together as children. I’ve heard it thousands of times, but I had never played it myself… until now.”
Nueva Timba comes out September 5 on Blue Note Records. Take a listen to the lead singles ” Bonito y Sabroso (Live),” “Niña con Violín,” and “Gitanerias (Live).”
