The son of legendary Afro-Cuban jazz bandleader, composer, and arranger Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill, ARTURO O’FARRILL (piano, music director) is one of the most dynamic pianists of his generation, as well as a talented educator. The rest of the Latin Jazz Quintet personnel includes PETER BRAININ (tenor saxophone, flute), ANDY GONZALEZ (bass), PHOENIX RIVERA (drums, percussion), and JOSEPH GONZALEZ (congas, bongos, percussion). Through narration, demonstration, and participatory activities, O’Farrill and the ensemble will discuss the common roots of jazz and Latin music, their stylistic characteristics, similarities, and differences, and important artists such as Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Machito, Mario Bauza, Chico O’Farrill, and Tito Puente. Musical selections will include “Timonbo,” “Manteca,” “Mambo Inn,” “Oye Como Va,” and other bebop standards, ragtime songs, habaneras, and danzons. In addition to the 20 daytime performances (2 performances at 10 venues), there will be four special evening performances, which are being produced in collaboration with the non-profit organization Midori and Friends. Founded in 1992 by the renowned classical violinist, Midori and Friends promotes music education throughout New York City.

This is the seventh year J@LC has produced the Jazz in the Schools Tour, which exemplifies the organization’s mission to promote appreciation for jazz– including Latin jazz – in neighborhoods and communities, especially those that might not otherwise have access to world-class performers. The “Arroz con Bebop” schedule is:

Daytime Dates (2 performances at each venue):
Monday, March 11, 2002 Polyprep Country Day (Brooklyn)
Tuesday, March 12, 2002 I.S. 25 (Brooklyn)
Wednesday, March 13, 2002 Convent of the Sacred Heart (Manhattan)
Thursday, March 14, 2002 Free Arts for Abused Children Program
(Manhattan) Friday, March 15, 2002 Grace Church School (Manhattan)
Monday, March 18, 2002 Community Works Program (Merkin Hall)
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 Rumson Fair Haven High School (New Jersey)
Wednesday, March 20, 2002 Coler & Goldwater Hospitals (Roosevelt Island)
Thursday, March 21, 2002 P.S. 108 (Bronx)
Friday, March 22, 2002 P.S. 243 (Bedford-Stuyvesant – Change 4 Kids Program)

Evening Dates in collaboration with Midori & Friends (1 performance at each venue):
Tuesday, March 12, 2002 P.S. 91 (Queens)
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 P.S. 180 (Manhattan)
Wednesday, March 20, 2002 P.S. 160/48 (Queens)
Thursday, March 21, 2002 P.S. 229 (Queens)

Arturo O’Farrill was born on June 22, 1960 in Mexico City and grew up in New York City. Educated at the Manhattan School of Music and the Brooklyn College Conservatory, O’Farrill performed with the Carla Bley Big Band from 1979 through 1983. He then went on to develop as a solo performer and sideman with a wide array of artists including Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Turre, Papo Vasquez, The Fort Apache Band, Lester Bowie, and Harry Belafonte. In 1995, O’Farrill agreed to direct the band that preserved much of his father’s music, Chico O’Farrill’s Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra, which has been in residence at New York City’s Birdland for the past few years as well as touring worldwide. Besides recording two albums as a leader for Milestone Records, Bloodlines and A Night in Tunisia, he has appeared on numerous records, including the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed movie Calle 54. A widely respected educator, O’Farrill states, “I’m always looking for opportunities to transcend international or racial boundaries.” He has participated in numerous Jazz at Lincoln Center events, including a January 2000 lecture on the Latin Jazz Rhythm Section and the 2001 Awards Gala & Benefit Concert “The Spirit of Tito Puente,” where he accepted the annual J@LC Artistic Achievement Award on behalf of his father.