A Testament to Dedication
“Final Night at Birdland”
The emails and tweets were relentless and ecstatic: “Chico won.” A pure passion project, marking the end of a life-long passion pursuit, Arturo O’Farrill & The Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra’s recording, “Final Night at Birdland,” won the 2014 Latin Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Performance. Congratulations to Arturo and his family, Zoho Records, and all the musicians, friends and supporters who made this wonderful recording possible. Below, my small contribution, one of the liner note essays and some photos from the performance. —Ryan Paternite, November 21, 2014.
Confession. I knew next to nothing about Chico O’Farrill when I booked his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra for the first time. It was a Monday night CD release concert at the Blue Note, NYC in the fall of 1995. I had heard his “Afro-Cuban Suite” in a jazz history class in college, to be sure, but noted little beyond the unusually amalgamated name of the composer. So when producer Todd Barkan called to say that Chico’s band was booking dates and releasing “Pure Emotion,” (Milestone, 1995) the first Chico recording in almost thirty years, I think I naively asked whether or not it was a ghost band. Far from it.
That first live encounter was memorable because the club was unusually live, packed with curious fans and filled with pungent music equal to the composer’s unusual name. It was a mixture of memorable melodies and precision ensemble writing in a freewheeling package, reminiscent of the best small groups in Latin jazz. I imagined it was something like hearing the Machito Orchestra or Dizzy Gillespie’s big band at the Palladium Ballroom in the 1950s, but updated, more modern. In a word, Chico. In any case, I was sure there was no other living, breathing band quite like it.
When I joined Andy Kaufman and Gianni Valenti at Birdland in 1996, the memory of that night at the Blue Note was still fresh and “Pure Emotion” had earned much deserved attention. We all agreed the band would be a perfect fit for Birdland’s new big-band-ready space on West 44th Street. After a successful engagement in August of 1997, Arturo O’Farrill and Andy Kaufman hatched the idea of a weekly residency. I recall that it was a nod to both the Sunday night Latin-music-dance-club and Monday night big-band-workshop traditions. A dream concocted by aficionados. That is to say, everyone loved the idea but doubted it would last!
But the people came, week after week, year after year, from around the world. Later, when it became difficult for Chico to appear every week, Arturo O’Farrill doubled down, writing new music and working even harder to spread the word. As a result, the reputation of the band grew and the music matured, even after Chico’s passing in June 2001.
For thirteen years and six months, the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra performed at Birdland, with few exceptions, every Sunday night. On this CD, you will hear why. It’s a working band at the height of its powers. Polished, spontaneous, and much like the night I first heard them, utterly unique.
Asked, as I have been, to comment from Birdland’s perspective I must say that it strikes me as an incredible achievement by Chico, Arturo, their families and all the musicians, a testament to dedication, commitment, and tradition. It is undoubtedly a pillar in Birdland’s history. But unlike many such experiments, it’s important to note that the Chico O’Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra at Birdland ended much as it started, successfully and by choice. From a personal perspective, I’m honored to have played even a small part. Finally, as I began with a confession, I’ll end with a plea: listen, remember and most of all enjoy.
CD available here.
