The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA) and El Museo del Barrio - New York invite the greater New York community to ring in the holiday season with a special concert, A Very Chico Christmas, celebrating the Centennial of Chico O'Farrill at El Museo del Barrio on Friday, December 17 (8 p.m., Tickets: $20 adv./$30 door).

A Very Chico Christmas kicks off the annual live performance season of the multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning 18-piece Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, along with special guests Donald Harrison, Adam O'Farrill, and Zack O'Farrill.

(Photo : JP Cutler Media)

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"October 28, 2021, marked the centennial of the birth of Arturo Chico O'Farrill," says Arturo O'Farrill (Artistic Director, ALJA). "As a composer, my father, Chico, showed us the greatest lesson possible. 'The Afro Cuban Jazz Suite' was an example of taking an artistic chance, putting it all on the line just as he was starting out in his career. In the time when he wrote his masterpiece, the state of the art in jazz was Charlie Parker. The discovery of Cuba was the only acknowledgment of Latin influence in jazz, and only Duke Ellington was writing extended multi-movement suites with any success. Somehow, Chico connected Europe, África, Cuba and the Américas, and single-handedly changed the face of modern music."

A Very Chico Christmas showcases beloved Chico O'Farrill compositions as well as the rarely-performed "Oro, Incienso y Mirra" (Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh). "The Afro Cuban Jazz Suite" features Donald Harrison on saxophone. Other works include "Variations on a Well-Known Theme," "The Aztec Suite," and select additional arrangements for a riveting two-hour program.

A Very Chico Christmas continues ALJA's year-long celebration of the Chico O'Farrill Centennial that began with Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra's live concert at NJPAC presented in partnership with the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers, home to the Chico O'Farrill archives.

ALJA has further commemorated the legacy of Chico O'Farrill with a special live repertoire of select Chico compositions performed by Arturo and the ALJO with their return to Birdland (NYC) in November 2021; as well as several Virtual Birdland programs highlighting performances of Chico's compositions.

Information on additional Centennial shows and activities throughout 2022 can be found at afrolatinjazz.org.

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