Preshow Conversation: 7:00 pm, Showtime: 8:00 pm
Multi-Grammy winner Arturo O'Farrill and his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra will collaborate with La Junta de Andalucia and La Fundacion Paco de Lucia for a very special show. The show will be part of the Paco de Lucia Legacy Festival; a week-long flamenco event being held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Paco de Lucia's passing in 2014. The festival opens at Carnegie Hall on February 20th. The Symphony Space show is a co-presentation of Belongó (formerly the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance) in association with the festival presenters, La Fundacion Paco de Lucia and La Junta de Andalucia.
Paco de Lucia was an innovator of the new flamenco style and one of the first flamenco guitarists to branch into classical and jazz. He was a pioneer and innovator of the music of his native Andalucia. The Orchestra will be arranging an evening of Paco's compositions, under the joint musical direction of Arturo O’Farrill and Valencian pianist and arranger, Alex Conde. O’Farrill and Conde will be joined by very special guest performers, including flamenco guitarist, Antonio Rey, Grammy-winning vocalist Chonchi Heredia, award-winning harmonica player, Antonio Serrano, dancer Karime Amaya, and Brazilian percussionist, Rubem Dantas.
About Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
GRAMMY Award-winning pianist, composer, and educator Arturo O'Farrill—leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (New York Times)—was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. Son of the late, great composer Chico O'Farrill, Arturo played piano in Carla Bley's Big Band from 1979 through 1983 and earned a reputation as a soloist in groups led by Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. In 2002, he established the GRAMMY Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) to bring the vital musical traditions of Afro Latin jazz to a wider general audience, and to greatly expand the contemporary Latin jazz big band repertoire through commissions to artists across a wide stylistic and geographic range. In March 2021, O'Farrill and the ALJO won their 7th GRAMMY for Four Questions, with Cornel West as guest orator. In September 2018, O'Farrill released his album, Fandango at the Wall: A Soundtrack for the United States, Mexico, and Beyond, which was also released as a documentary for HBO MAX. In 2019, O'Farrill was appointed Professor at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in the Global Jazz Studies department and is currently the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. O'Farrill's debut recording with Blue Note Records …dreaming in lions… was nominated for a 2022 GRAMMY Award in the "Best Instrumental Composition" category, and his album, Virtual Birdland (ZOHO), was nominated for "Best Latin Jazz Album." In 2023, O’Farrill won a GRAMMY Award for Fandango at the Wall in New York in the “Best Latin Jazz Album” category. O'Farrill is a Steinway Artist and records for Blue Note Records.
Special Guests:
ALEX CONDE
Piano/Composer: One of the most significant figures in the flamenco piano of his generation in his native Valencia. Pianist Alex Conde has maintained a fruitful and versatile career as a bandleader and composer for over a decade. His dazzling technique and unique musical presentation have brought him to some of the most prestigious stages in jazz.
ANTONIO REY
Guitar: Is a renowned Flamenco guitarist from Madrid, Spain. He started performing with his father at ten and soon began touring the world on his own. Antonio has played with Paco de Lucia and Vicente Amigo and has collaborated with notable Flamenco singers and dancers including Miguel Poveda, Diego El Cigala, Estrella Morente, Antonio Canales, Joaquín Cortés, and Farruquito.
ANTONIO SERRANO
Harmonica: Latin Grammy winner, Antonio developed a unique playing technique that helped him easily transition from classical to blues, jazz, and pop music. Performing with Paco de Lucia established him as one of the most renowned Spanish musicians.
CHONCHI HEREDIA
Cantaora: Asunción Heredia, Chonchi, a Spanish cantaora [singer], born in Granada. She started as a backing vocalist for dancers such as Joaquín Cortés or Antonio Canales, and artists such as Ketama, Estopa, Raimundo Amador, Vicente Amigo, or Jorge Pardo. An unmistakable voice that is none other than Conchi's. She is one of those valued voices in the world of flamenco, a genre she has loved since she was a child, singing alongside such influential names as Miguel Bosé, Rosario Flores, and Paco de Lucía.
KARIME AMAYA
Bailaora: Born in México in 1985, the grandniece of the legendary Carmen Amaya. Karime is one of the world’s most recognized and respected dancers. She carries the blood and legacy of "La Capitana" Carmen Amaya. Her debut at 9 was in the company of her parents: bailaora, Mercedes Amaya "La Winy" and guitarist, Santiago Aguilar, with whom she began her career at 12 and continues to dance. Karime has been performing as a soloist in the world's most essential forums and tablaos.
RUBEM DANTAS
Percussionist: From Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. He joined the flamenco rock band "Dolores" in Madrid, where he met guitar legend Paco de Lucia, and together they formed an innovative and influential flamenco band. Dantas discovered the cajón in Peru and added it to the flamenco sound. He has worked with greats such as Vince Mendoza, Gilberto Gil, Paquito D’Rivera, Chick Corea, and Touchstone.
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