Cuban pianist Nachito Herrera presents new CD that builds bridges between Minnesota and Havana

May 30, 2021

With Cuban Feeling: Homeland or Death, is the most recent recording production by the renowned Cuban pianist Nachito Herrera, resident in the United States, and was presented this Thursday through an online broadcast between both countries from the Cuban Institute of Music.

The recording comes out under the Colibrí label and constitutes not only a declaration of principles in relation to his roots, but also a demonstration of how his talent and ability to fuse sonorities can universalize music and build bridges.

After arduous orchestration and interpretation at the piano, Nachito Herrera blended in with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, conducted by Enrique Pérez Mesa, and the band Habana Jazz Social Club, in what is a virtuosic journey, of collection quality.

This album brings together talented Cuban musicians, mostly graduates like myself from the system of artistic education sponsored by Cuba, who move with propriety and excellence both in the field of so-called classical music as well as in jazz and popular dance music, said the celebrated pianist from the northern country.

Nachito Herrera took the opportunity to thank from the bottom of his heart, all the professionals from both countries, who in a fortuitous cooperation, helped save his life after spending 14 days in a coma as a result of COVID-19.

The moderator of the conference and author of the album's liner notes, journalist, critic and Vice President of UNEAC, Pedro de la Hoz, detailed the details of the recording's construction, and how being imbued with Cuban sonority manages at the same time to become a universal product.

With Cuban feeling also speaks of a complex sonic landscape --more than a genre-- that unites the United States and Cuba: jazz, he maintained. "Jazz is above all freedom, it is always breaking schemes, it is dynamiting locks. That is why it is a fundamental album that is going to make history". The masters of orchestral and choral direction, respectively, Enrique Pérez Mesa and Digna Guerra, important components of the production, thanked the pianist for the honor of participating, while also praising Nacho Herrera's solid pianistic work, where the Cuban sound flourishes regardless of the origin of the works.

At the end of last March, Nachito Herrera nearly died from COVID-19. After spending 14 days in a coma, he came off life support wondering if his career had ended. "When I woke up in the intensive care room, I couldn't even play fast," said Herrera.

"I couldn't even play slowly or with both hands together, which is something we have to do on the piano almost all the time". "I couldn't even play the piano in my house for more than 10 minutes because I had a lot of pain throughout my body," he said. "But my faith said, no, this is going to disappear. Let's get to work".

After rehabilitation and much practice to regain strength, Nachito began playing in virtual concerts and then went back to work finishing a new album that he recorded in Cuba before the pandemic. "It's Havana Jazz," said Herrera. "I composed several songs and recorded with the National Symphony of Cuba and the National Choir of Cuba.

We had 250 musicians working together, demonstrating that music is a wonderful language to unite a people, to always be together". But no matter how difficult those emotions may be, he says he will continue to rely on his faith to take the stage with a greater mission in mind: to unite people, cultures and countries through music.

Nachito Herrera's new album has just been released in Cuba, but he says it will be several weeks before it is available in the United States. The album comprises nine pieces that are versions of originals by Juan Sebastian Bach, Federico Chopin, Serguei Rachmaninov, Alejandro García Caturla, Ernesto Lecuona, Frank Fernández, Emiliano Salvador and Herrera himself, author of the orchestrations and piano performer, in the company of the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Enrique Pérez Mesa, and the band Habana Jazz Social Club. Aurora and Nachito Herrera took charge of the production, recorded by Giraldo García in the Egrem studios, under the advisory of Gloria Ochoa.