J.D. Considine for DOWNBEAT Magazine- El Viaje, Harold Lopez-Nussa’s previous album, was all about reaching out. It wasn’t just the title, which translates to “The Voyage,” or the fact that it was the Cuban pianist’s U.S. debut. There also was a sense of exploration to the music, as López-Nussa, his trio and various guests sought to invoke not only America, but also Africa and Europe within their very Cuban sound.
Un Día Cualquiera (“A Typical Day”), by contrast, seems less about reaching out than looking inward. López-Nussa’s trio is almost a family affair—his brother Ruy is on drums, while bassist Gaston Joya also plays in their uncle Ernan’s trio—and the interplay often sizzles with the sort of immediacy that comes from knowing exactly how the other guys think. “Una Tarde Cualquiera En Paris,” for example, conjures its Parisian afternoon with drums and bass supporting the piano’s elegant extrapolations. Suddenly, the tune shifts into 3, and a solo by Joya becomes a conversation between bass and piano that somehow explodes into a drum solo. It’s a wonderfully bravura bit of playing, yet it never feels like they’re showing off, because each flourish seems related to something one of the others played.
The tunes are mostly originals here, and the writing frequently reflects the pianist’s conservatory background. While that might lead to the occasional Debussian echo in the solo piano “Ma Petite Dans La Boulangerie,” it doesn’t prevent the intricately cinematic head to “Cimarrén” from moving into some of the album’s funkiest improvisation.
If this is a typical day for these guys, expect to hear a lot more from López-Nussa.