Author Archives: Mel Minter

A New Carnaval Celebration at the NHCC and a New Album from Frank Leto

Carnaval masters Pilar and Frank Leto

On February 9 and 10 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC), Frank and Pilar Leto will present “Carnaval 2024: Comunidade,” their 19th almost-annual celebration of Carnaval, which features vibrant original music and dance and lavish costumes. This year, they are paying tribute to the many dancers, musicians, actors, and sponsors from the Albuquerque community who have made these unique Carnaval performances possible year after year. In addition, Frank’s latest album, It Seems Like Yesterday, will be available at the event in advance of its official release.

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Pianist Harold López-Nussa Renovates the Cuban Tradition (at the Outpost 11/19)

Harold López-Nussa Quartet (l2r): Harold López-Nussa, Ruy Adrián López-Nussa, Luques Curtis, Grégoire Maret. Photo by Paulo Vitale.

Until recently, I was unfamiliar with award-winning Cuban pianist/composer Harold López-Nussa, and so my main interest in the appearance of his quartet at the Outpost was focused more on the phenomenal Swiss-born harmonica player Grégoire Maret, long a favorite of mine, who is a member of the quartet. Then, I heard López-Nussa’s most recent release, Timba a la Americana, and several previous releases, and now I’m as excited to see and hear him as I am to see and hear Maret. This Sunday, November 19, the equally phenomenal López-Nussa will introduce his innovative renovation of Latin jazz. Prepare to be wowed.

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Jazzed: New Releases from Dan Tepfer and Miguel Zenón, Myra Melford, Billy Mohler, and Lafayette Gilchrist

  • Miguel Zenón and Dan Tepfer
  • Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet (l2r): Mary Halvorson, Lesley Mok, Melford, Ingrid Laubrock, Tomeka Reid. Photo by Don Dixon.
  • Billy Mohler. Photo by Robbie Jeffries.
  • Lafayette Gilchrist. Photo by Beth Anthony.

Here are four distinctively different projects that fall, to one degree or another, under the jazz umbrella—from the Dan Tepfer and Miguel Zenón duo, Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet, Billy Mohler’s chordless quartet, and Lafayette Gilchrist’s sextet. They offer distinctly different musical experiences, but they all share one thing: no one else sounds anything like any of them.

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