Arturo O'Farrill

Pianist, composer & conductor

“One of our greatest living pianists.”

— Downbeat Magazine

Born in Mexico and raised in New York, Arturo O’Farrill is a prolific pianist, composer, and passionate promoter of Latin music and its cultural heritage. Arturo is the founder and Artistic Director of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Afro Latin music through performance, education and preservation.

Throughout his career, he has played with several bands and orchestras all over the world, including his own Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and the Arturo O’Farril Sextet. He has also performed with Ballet Hispánico and the Malpaso Dance Company, and composed pieces for the Evidence Dance Company and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.

Schedule

Shapeshifter Lab

New York, NY
November 21, 2024
Tickets

Carla Bley Ensemble

The New School: School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Fall Ensemble Festival
New York, New York

Arturo O'Farrill directs the Carla Bley Ensemble

December 3, 2024
Tickets

Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley

St. Ann's Warehouse
New York, New York
December 14, 2024
Tickets

“New York pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill has not just continued but renewed that musical discussion with a breathtaking, consistently inventive array of Afro-Cuban jazz over two CDs.”

— laist, 89.3 KPCC
latest album

Legacies

April 28, 2023

On his Blue Note album Legacies, the composer/arranger/bandleader Arturo O'Farrill puts the emphasis back on his striking pianistic abilities with a 9-song set that juxtaposes stunning solo piano flights. Dynamic trio performances are accompanied by his son, drummer Zack O'Farrill, and bassist Liany Mateo. The repertoire includes pieces by Bud Powell ("Un Poco Loco"), Thelonious Monk ("Well, You Needn't"), his father Chico O'Farrill ("Pure Emotion"), his own "Blue State Blues," and more.

SEE album details

Latest News

October 30, 2024

Arturo and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra to celebrate Carla Bley at St. Ann’s Warehouse, December 14

'Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley', will include two new commssions as well as Arturo's "Día de Los Muertos"

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February 7, 2024

Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of Nuestro sonidos

The performance is part of Carnegie Hall's season-long celebration of the impact of Latin culture in the United States.

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July 8, 2024

Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Sextet perform as part of WNYC's Centennial Broadcast at the Greene Space

The performance is part of Carnegie Hall's season-long celebration of the impact of Latin culture in the United States.

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“I am overjoyed that this is happening... Musicians have been on the frontlines of this (thawing between Cuba and the United States) for so long. We played a role in making that relationship mend.”

— arturo o'farrill