Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Turns 10 At Symphony Space
By: BWW News Desk Jan. 20, 2012
The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance has announced that it will celebrate the 10th Anniversary season of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), directed by Arturo O'Farrill, with a special program at Symphony Space on Manhattan's Upper West Side, on January 20 & 21. Entitled "The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Turns 10," the program will showcase the ensemble performing a wide range of repertoire, spanning from their earliest Jazz at Lincoln Center beginnings to their latest commissions, including works by Miguel Zenón, Dafnis Prieto, Vijay Iyer, O'Farrill, and many others. Additionally, a special world premiere will celebrate the commitment the Orchestra has made towards progressing this vital art form.
For the January 20 performance only, a star-studded lineup of some of the world's leading musicians will join the ALJO on stage in celebration of its landmark anniversary, including:Recording Academy Trustees Award recipient Ray Santos, 2011 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient Dafnis Prieto, Claudia Acuña, Donald Harrison, Edmar Castaneda, and Fernando Otero, among others. The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance will also honor Ray Santos, Randy Weston, and Robert Sancho, Vice President of Bronx-Lebanon Hospital and founding board chair of the ALJA, for their contributions to Afro Latin jazz.
Additionally, the January 20 performance will serve as a benefit concert for the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, the ALJO's non-profit organization committed to keeping this culturally rich tradition alive through Afro Latin jazz performance, education, and preservation. Anniversary Celebration Benefit Concert Tickets are $60, $80, and $100, and at the $100 level include a post performance reception at the home of City Council member Gale Brewer.
O'Farrill exclaims, "Ten years of existence is a milestone for the ALJO, not so much because we survived, but because we've created a new entry point into the cultural conversation. There is such great diversity in this music. Our embrace of an inclusive picture in jazz has welcomed many people into the fold because of this approach. This season we celebrate the finest moments in our history, which have consistently reflected a rich and comprehensive picture of Afro Latin jazz."
The two-night January engagement is the second in a series of three landmark performances at Symphony Space, commemorating the 10th Anniversary season. The kick-off took place in October with a tribute to and featuring Andy and Jerry González, founders of the pioneering, Bronx-born Fort Apache Band and arguably the most important siblings in Latin jazz.
The final performances will take place on May 11 & 12, with a program entitled "Música Nueva 5: Big Band Poetry Slam & Beyond." The Orchestra's fifth annual new music concert, Música Nueva, will celebrate the spoken word tradition with a big band poetry slam curated by poet and musician Angel R. RodrÃguez, Sr. and will honor the work of the Nuyorican Poets Café. Guest DJs, MCs, spoken word artists, instrumentalists, and dancers will mix the classic sound of mambo, boogaloo, and salsa with hip-hop, acid jazz, and alternative improvisation.
About The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra:
Founded in 2002 by O'Farrill to perform the full repertory of big band Afro Latin jazz, and commission new works to advance this culturally rich genre, the ALJO was a resident orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center from 2002 to 2007. In 2007, the ALJO left Lincoln Center to pursue the twin goals of developing new audiences for big band Afro Latin jazz and of creating a robust educational program for young performers. O'Farrill founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance that same year to pursue both the performance and educational aspects of this uniquely pan-American art form.
The ALJO is currently in its fifth season in residence at Symphony Space, and it continues to tour nationally and internationally to critical acclaim, performing over the past several years at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boston Symphony Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival, The Joyce Theater (with Ballet Hispanico), Megaron Concert Hall (Athens, Greece), and the Taichung Jazz Festival (Taichung, Taiwan), among countless other venues. The ALJO received a GRAMMY® nomination for its 2005 album, Una Noche Inolvidable (Palmetto), and in 2009 earned a GRAMMY for Best Latin Jazz Album for its release Song for Chico (Zoho). The Orchestra released its newest album, 40 Acres and a Burro (Zoho), this past February.
About The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance:
Founded in 2007, the non-profit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance is dedicated to preserving the music and heritage of Afro Latin Jazz, supporting its performance for new audiences, commissioning new work, and educating young people in the understanding and performance of this important cultural treasure. The Alliance maintains a world-class collection of Latin jazz musical scores and recordings and provides institutional support for the GRAMMY® Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. As the ALJO celebrates its 10th Anniversary season, the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance's educational and community outreach programs have flourished. Since 2007, the Alliance has created a robust educational program for children, teens, and young performers. Programs include: the Afro Latin Jazz Academy of Music, the Fat Afro Latin Jazz Cats, The Chico O'Farrill Scholarship, and the Chico O'Farrill School of Jazz, as well as master classes, workshops, and residencies.
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