Cuban Jazz Virtuoso Harold Lopez-Nussa

Harold Lopez-Nussa from Havana, Cuba is a rising young star in the international jazz scene. To hear him play, and to see him play, is thrilling. His style reflects traditional jazz influences, but it's also infused with a distinct Afro-Cuban sound, rhythm and energy.

Lopez-Nussa is only 30 years old, and at 23 he was already performing around the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where he won first place in the solo piano competition. He's now touring the U.S. for the first time, and he'll be performing tonight at Regattabar in Cambridge.

Harold Lopez-Nussa, pianist.

Ruy Adrian Lopez-Nussa, hand percussion.

Havana-Cultura, "Harold López-Nussa sits down to the piano and, aftera few warm-up scales, goes to work. Whereas a few minutes earlier he was relaxed. chatting easily, joking with members of his audience, he suddenly appears transformed, both mentally and physically. His concentration is total, his virtuosity confirmedagain and again with flawless runs up and down the keyboard. His head and shoulders tilt toward his instrument, not with strain but with the humility ofa knight bowing to his sovereign. His audible breathing and intermittent mumbling make him seem like a less troubled version of Glenn Gould."