Arturo O'Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Will Return To Live Performances in New York City in May and June

Multi GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist/composer Arturo O'Farrill and nonprofit the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA) have announced their return to live performances throughout New York City and Brooklyn in May 2021 and June 2021. O'Farrill and his 18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra perform live for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music's Spring Benefit 2021 on Saturday, May 15, 2021 (4pm @ PS 321, backlot/playground area, 180 7th Avenue) -- the Spring Benefit transforms stoops, sidewalks, school lots and gardens in Park Slope for a special outdoor spring music festival. In partnership with the legendary East Village global music venue DROM (85 Avenue A, NYC), O'Farrill performs live with his quartet (May 12) and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble (May 19); two additional Thursday evening concerts at DROM will be curated by O'Farrill with artists from the ALJA Family on June 10 & 24, 2021.

The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance announces new standout programming on the ongoing innovative online series the ALJA Digital Village, including their latest productions on Virtual Birdland and La Plaza.

Virtual Birdland -- Featuring Virtuoso Oud Player Rahim alHaj

Sunday, May 23, 2021

The marquee performance on Virtual Birdland for the month of May 2021 features GRAMMY Award-nominated oud player and composer Rahim alHaj, a master musician who appears in the HBO documentary film, Fandango at the Wall. Lauded as "one of the top oud players in the world" by San Francisco Chronicle, Rahim Alhaj has released 12 albums and collaborated with American guitarist Bill Frisell, modern accordion innovator Guy Klucevsek, Indian sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, and indy-rock pioneers R.E.M.. alHaj has performed all over the world, on tour with Munir Bashir, his teacher, as well as solo and with his string quartet project, including numerous concerts in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, and France, and hundreds of concerts in the United States. He has recorded for Smithsonian Folkways, Fast Horse Recordings, and VoxLox. alHaj is a recipient of a "National Heritage Fellowship" awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The flagship ALJA Digital Village program "Virtual Birdland" celebrates reaching more than 1 million people in over 25 countries (since March 2020) with the release of a new album, Virtual Birdland (Zoho Music/Release Date: April 9, 2021). The recording features O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra performing with an array of special guests on 10 ambitious compositions recorded across a span of more than 50 online concerts. Every Virtual Birdland session is recorded remotely from the safety of each artists' homes. Jon Pareles (Chief Popular Music Critic) of The New York Times included "Virtual Birdland" in his story, "10 Best Quarantine Concerts Online" (July 2021).

Concerts on ALJA Digital Village's La Plaza platform throughout May 2021:

Friday, May 7, 2021: Arturo O'Farrill Sextet @ Soapbox Gallery

Live streamed and recorded in March 2021, O'Farrill appears with his sextet for an evening celebrating the music of the Charles Mingus along with performing select compositions from Arturo and his two sons, Adam (trumpet) and Zack (drums). The O'Farrill's perform together with Bam Rodriguez (bass), Victor Pablo (percussion), and Jasper Dutz (saxophone).

Friday, May 14, 2021: Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra @ DROM's Virtual WorldFest 2021

ALJA partners with DROM to broadcast electrifying concerts from the club's recent five-night Virtual WorldFest (March 26 - 31, 2021). WorldFest presented 30 artists from around the world to help raise much needed funds for the music venue. O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra perform with special guests who collectively represent over 13 countries including Colombia, Cuba, Macedonia, Spain, Syria, and Turkey. The event is curated by Serdar Ilhan and Mehmet Dede, and will be hosted by Frank London and Jenn Jade.

*ALJA will broadcast two additional performances from DROM's Virtual WorldFest 2021, curated by O'Farrill.

Friday, May 21, 2021: Treasures from the ALJA Vault - A Night of Afro Dominican Jazz

Classics from the ALJA vault are revisited with a focus on select performances from A Night of Afro Dominican Jazz: Honoring and Remembering 'El Comandante' Mario Rivera recorded at Symphony Space (2013). Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra pay tribute to one of the greatest Latin jazz musicians, saxophone-great Mario Rivera.

Friday, May 28, 2021: Greene Space Residency Redux (Part 4)

In 2019, The Greene Space at WNYC/WQXR invited O'Farrill to present a four-month artistic residency entitled, "Radical Acts & Musical Deviancy." The monthly residency featured a spirited and diverse mix of artistic friends and collaborators in an exciting series of performances. Part 4 of this "Residency Redux" offers highlights from the residency series featuring innovative music and inspiring conversations, all captured at The Greene Space from January - April 2019.

Since March 2020, O'Farrill and ALJA have presented programs with lauded guests such as Dr. Cornel West, Paquito de Rivera, Rudresh Mahathappa, Ana Tijoux, Miguel Zenon, Sean Jones, Mandy Gonzalez, Letieres Leite and Orkestra Rumpilezz, Sofia Rei, and Sahr Ngaujah. Master classes have been led by the likes of John Benitez, Papo Vazquez, Samuel Torres, Yasser Tejeda, and others. ALJA Digital Village programs such as Ori-Gen Collective and La Plaza bring award-winning performances and panels to the community free of charge. ALJA has presented more than 100 dynamic programs over the past 12 months.

To view the ALJA Digital Village programming, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/afrolatinjazzalliance

For more information regarding Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, please visit arturoofarrill.com and afrolatinjazz.org.