Search - Ernan Lopez-Nussa :: From Havan to Rio

Cuban-born Ernán López-Nussa is well schooled in both the Brazilian and classical traditions, and fuses them seamlessly on his American debut, From Havana to Rio. While there are definite traces of McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea in his playing (Corea's Latin airiness is especially evident on "Rencuentro"), López-Nussa's no copyist. He reinvents standards like Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," giving the cut the elegant feel of a Cuban danzon. Having recorded in the past with Silvio Rodriguez, his roots are firmly established, but he firms up the Brazilian branches too, injecting a lightly funky feel into his own "Isla." Although he's capable of it, López-Nussa never lets keyboard pyrotechnics take over. Instead the melody speaks for itself in some glistening improvisations that show the depth of his formidable technique. With their layers of rhythm, the musics of Cuba and Brazil have never been that far apart; on this disc, López-Nussa reduces the difference to no distance at all. --Chris Nickson