Arturo O’Farrill

Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, featuring the Fat Cat Alumni All Stars

Born in Mexico, raised in New York, Arturo’s career as pianist and composer is dedicated to the preservation of Afro-Cuban culture, much like his father, Havana-born Chico O’Farrill. Deeply-rooted in the traditions of Latin jazz, his visionary music is boundaryless and never easily categorized, perpetually forward-looking with a global perspective.

Led by O’Farrill, the multi-Grammy winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) blends the drama of big band jazz, the culture of Latin music, and the virtuosity of 18 of the world’s most accomplished musicians. Their innovative repertoire pushes the genre into the future. They have collaborated with and performed the compositions of noted artists like Randy Weston, Dizzy Gillespie, Carla Bley, Vijay Iyer, Antonio Sanchez, Chucho Valdes, Letieres Leite, Lionel Loueke and many others, including O’Farrill himself.

Arturo’s well-reviewed and highly-praised “Afro-Latin Jazz Suite” from the album Cuba: The Conversation Continues (Motema) took the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition and the 2016 Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. His powerful “Three Revolutions” from the album Familia – Tribute to Chico and Bebo, was the 2018 Grammy Award winner for Best Instrumental Composition, his sixth award in that category. Arturo’s album Four Questions (ZOHO) is the first to embody all original compositions, including the title track which features the brilliant orator Dr. Cornel West. This album won a Grammy in 2021.  His most recent album with the ALJO, “Fandango at the Wall in New York”, was awarded this year’s Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Photo by David Garten.