Pianist and composer Harold López-Nussa has signed with Blue Note Records and announced his new album Timba a la Americana.
The recording was inspired by the musician’s recent decision to leave his Cuban homeland and begin a new life in France.
Produced by Snarky Puppy’s Michael League, Timba a la Americana presents 10 new original compositions performed with a band that includes harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret, bassist Luques Curtis, conga player Bárbaro “Machito” Crespo on congas, and drummer Ruy Adrián López-Nussa (Harold’s brother).
Watch the official video for the lead single “Funky”:
López-Nussa has been building a global following over the past two decades since winning the prestigious Montreux Jazz Piano Competition in 2005. He has previously released nine albums as a leader, and he was part of the 2011 all-star project Ninety Miles with Stefon Harris, David Sanchez, and Christian Scott.
López-Nussa says joining Blue Note for his milestone 10th album as a leader is a big moment.
“I’d been talking with [Blue Note president] Don [Was] for some time when I was still in Havana,” he recalls. “We’d have these discussions just talking about music — records he loves, records I love. Eventually it became about me joining Blue Note. After the contract was done, that was a heavy moment for me. I felt this huge responsibility because of the history of the label. Don totally understood that. He had a lot of confidence in us, which gave us confidence. He wanted us to do what we were feeling, what we wanted to share.”
Described as a “top-to-bottom modernization of Latin jazz” with Cuban music as the “anchoring point of origin,” Timba marks the first time López-Nussa has recorded using electric instruments and synthesizers. “Michael [League] really encouraged me to explore that this time,” he says. “We had this nice Rhodes and then he brought in some other equipment and we got really into mixing these electronic sounds. That was directly because of Michael. He understood about my need to respect tradition, but he also picked up on my restlessness. He got me out of being comfortable.”
Here’s the track listing:
- Funky
- Cake a la Moda
- Mal du Pays
- Rat-a-Tat
- Conga a la Americana
- Afro en Toulouse
- Tumba la Timba
- Mamá
- Tierra Mía
- Hope
Harold López-Nussa’s Timba a la Americana is out Aug. 25, 2023, via Blue Note Records.
