Jazz Articles about Arturo O'Farrill

Arturo O'Farrill: Risa Negra

by J Hunter
December 24, 2009

Pianist Arturo O'Farrill describes the music on Risa Negra as “Latin/jazz/funk/classical." By “accepted" standards, that means it won't fit into established musical pigeonholes; the Latin, funk, and jazz contingents won't go for it because of the classical angle, and the classical contingent won't go for it because ... well, there's something other than classical music involved. And that's why Risa is so terrific: instead of appealing to one audience, O'Farrill and his partners build a lush, rich meeting place where ...

Arturo O'Farrill: Risa Negra

by Woodrow Wilkins
December 20, 2009

It's been said that music is universal. Pianist Arturo O'Farrill takes the concept a step further, bringing an ensemble representative of the universe known as Earth. O'Farrill won the 2009 Grammy in the Latin Jazz category for Song for Chico (Zoho, 2008), which also earned him the Best Latin Jazz Album award from Jazz Journalists Association. For Risa Negra, he brings in a diverse ensemble of musicians, representing the Caribbean, Midwestern United States, Latin America, Russia and India. ...

Arturo O'Farrill: Risa Negra

by Joel Roberts
December 7, 2009

Pianist, composer and bandleader Arturo O'Farrill is Latin jazz royalty. The son of the legendary Chico O'Farrill, whose collaborations with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie helped create the genre (and whose best-known composition, “Manteca," is reason enough for his status as a jazz icon), Arturo has long been a major innovator in his own right, with a 2009 Grammy for the most recent recording with his AfroLatin Jazz Orchestra to show for it. On Risa Negra, O'Farrill ...

Arturo O'Farrill: Risa Negra

by Mark Corroto
October 29, 2009

With his 2009 Grammy award in hand, pianist Arturo O'Farrill can finally step out from the very long shadow cast by his father, Afro-Cuban band leader Chico O'Farrill. On Risa Negra, it can be seen how quickly Arturo's children, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill (age 14) and drummer Zachary O'Farrill (age 17)--featured on one track--begin to peer out from the safety of dad's protective gaze.

This is a family album, it's just that O'Farrill's extended family heard here come from the Caribbean, ...

Arturo O'Farrill: Upholding the Latin Tinge

by R.J. DeLuke
June 22, 2009

Arturo O'Farrill, an extraordinary pianist, admits he came out of the bebop school of playing, a Bud Powell disciple, and his strong chops would attest to that. He didn't pursue the music of his father—the great Chico O'Farrill—in his younger days, but he came upon it as he studied the music. He came to not only appreciate it, but his excellent bands embody it.He's led two Latin big bands, one celebrating his father's music (the Chico O'Farrill Afro ...

Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Live in Saratoga Springs, NY

by R.J. DeLuke
June 9, 2009

Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz OrchestraSpa Little TheaterSaratoga Springs, New YorkMay 30, 2009

An array of Latin influences in music was presented by the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, led by pianist/composer/arranger Arturo O'Farrill, on May 30 at the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Some Latin bands pretty much stay in the same vein. O'Farrill has his group--which won a Grammy this year for its latest recording--mining from multiple sources. They play ...

Arturo O'Farrill & Claudia Acuna: In These Shoes

by Woodrow Wilkins
November 20, 2008

Friends sometimes make the best partners. It's a good formula for Arturo O'Farrill and Claudia Acuna, who collaborated for In These Shoes.O'Farrill, a 2006 Grammy nominee as a pianist, composer and arranger, has put his mark on Latin and jazz styles, often mixing both. Acuna, a singer from Chile, also fuses Latin and jazz and counts among her influences, Sarah Vaughan and Celia Cruz. Together, O'Farrill and Acuna combine the best of their respective worlds.The sassy ...