Announcing a new album from Manuel Valera’s New Cuban Express Big Band, ‘Distancia’!
We’re so happy to announce a new release by pianist Manuel Valera! It’s the second album by his New Cuban Express Big Band and it’s called Distancia.
The album fuses the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Brazil to forge innovative sounds and textures and draws upon searing personal experiences – going through personal loss, and having to pick up the pieces to move forward. Valera uses the broad palette of the big band to express a wide range of moods and emotions. From the haunting “From Afar,” to the fiery “Gemini,” the writing is dynamic and varied and the ensemble brings out the nuances with both grace and gusto.
The band features some of New York’s best creative musicians, including vocalists Camila Meza and Bogna Kicińska as well as standout soloists Charles Pillow, Remy Le Beouf, and Mike Fahie. Produced by Kabir Sehgal and Doug Davis, Manuel Valera presents a very personal album of engaging contemporary big band jazz.
You can pre-order the album on CD and digital here and get the first single, “Expectativas,” right away. Greenleaf Music subscribers already have the first single in their Bandcamp stream here.
Check out the track here:
