Chico O'Farrill (1921-2001)

Cuba | Jazz performer, composer, arranger

BIOGRAPHY

Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill was a highly influential figure in Latin jazz during the mid-twentieth century. His musical training was very traditional, as he studied trumpet at the Havana Conservatory and subsequently at the Juilliard School; however, he grew increasingly fascinated with jazz and began playing jazz in his free time. He performed with and arranged tunes for several notable jazz performers and bandleaders, including Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, and Machito. Notable examples of his compositions include the Afro-Cuban Suite, Manteca Theme, and Undercurrent Blues. Although O’Farrill composed jazz in traditional idioms, he was most well-known for his work in Afro-Cuban jazz, or “Cubop.” Between 1970 and 1990, he took a hiatus from jazz, occasionally arranging for other musicians and bandleaders but remaining mostly inactive. In 1995, O’Farrill made a comeback, as he founded the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, which held a residence at the Birdland nightclub in New York City, and released the Grammy-nominated album Pure Emotion. Shortly before his comeback, he arranged several songs for the David Bowie album Black Tie White Noise and wrote a trumpet concerto commissioned by Wynton Marsalis. After recording two more albums in 1999 and 2000, he passed away in 2001. Today, O’Farrill’s son, Arturo, leads the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra and actively promotes his father’s work and legacy.

OBITUARIES

Ratliff, Ben. “Chico O'Farrill, 79, Musician and Leader in Afro-Cuban Jazz.” The New York Times, June 29, 2001.

Levy, Claudia. "Jazz Trumpeter Chico O'Farrill." The Washington Post, June 29, 2001.

"NOTABLE DEATHS." The Washington Post, July 1, 2001.

Mattison, Ben. “New York to Name Street Corner for Chico O'Farrill.” Playbill, June 19, 2005.

SELECTED RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT COOK MUSIC LIBRARY

To view all audio recordings available at IU-Bloomington libraries, click here.

Sound Recordings

Songs for Chico (2008)

O'Farrill, Arturo. Song for Chico. Millwood, NY: Zoho Music, 2008.

Scores

Latinettes, Book 1 (arr. Chico O'Farrill) (1952)

O'Farrill, Chico. Latinettes: C Book 1. New York: Autobal Music Company, 1952

SELECTED AUDIOVISUAL RECORDINGS

Media Collections Online (MCO)

These resources are only available to authorized users at Indiana University-Bloomington.

West Side Heavies - IU Jazz Alumni Hall of Fame, performed April 23rd, 2016

Descarga no. 2 - Chico O'Farrill y Allstars Cubano, Rough Guide to the Music of Cuba, 1999

Pensativo Roger Pemberton with orchestra, Jackie Pemberton Memorial Concert, November 9th, 1986

Alexander Street Press

These resources are only available to authorized users at Indiana University-Bloomington.

Pure Emotion (1995)

Fiebre Tropical (2004) - performed by Chico O'Farill's All Star Afro-Cuban Orchestra

Cuban Blues (1997)

The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite (1950) - performed by Machito and His Afro-Cuban Orchestra

Enclyclopedias

Oxford Music Online (Grove)

These resources are only available to authorized users at Indiana University-Bloomington

Cerchiari, Luca. "O’Farrill, Chico." Grove Music Online, 2003. 

Periodicals

These resources are available through ProQuest Historical Newspapers to authorized users at Indiana University-Bloomington.

Los Angeles Times

O'Farrill's Reward at Workshop." Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1992.

The New York Times

Lutz, Phillip. "Putting Latin Jazz Front and Center: With His Orchestra at Purchase, Arturo O'Farrill Carries on in the Musical Tradition of His Father." New York Times, March 8, 2009.

Pareles, Jon. "Expanding on a Cuban Musical Heritage." New York Times, August 23, 1995.

Ratliff, Ben. "Melodic Development, Strict; the Technique, Classical." New York Times, December 23, 1999.

Watrous, Peter. "Coaxed Back Down the Mountain: A Jazz Composer Coaxed Back Down the Mountain." New York Times, November 30, 1995.

Navarro, Mireya. "A Master of Latin Jazz is Rediscovered at 79: After Lean Decades, Chico O'Farrill Revels in His Late-Blooming Fame the Essential Chico O'Farrill CITY at 79, Master of Latin Jazz Finds His Career Reborn." New York Times (1923-Current File), Dec 30, 2000.

"Black Artists Band, Machito Perform." New York Times, March 1, 1976. 

The Washington Post

Gonzalez, Fernando. "The Greats all Gather on 'Calle 54'." The Washington Post, May 11, 2001.