Arturo O’Farrill He has earned the respect of the Latino music industry, not only for his compositions but also for his work as an activist and educator.
O’Farrill recently starred alongside several musicians in the documentary Fandango on the wall; a film that collects the experiences of a great concert that takes place on both sides of the border between Mexico and the United States.
“Living as an immigrant, with everything we bring to this country and still having this fear of not being welcomed here, is very ugly. Therefore, going to Mexico, Tijuana and Veracruz, to celebrate the community with all your heart, to celebrate Latin pride… it is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my entire life, “explains this winner of several Grammy Awards.
In 2007, O’Farrill founded the Alianza de Jazz Afrolatino, an organization dedicated to teaching, performing, and preserving Afro-Latino music. And he explained why one of his favorite genres is son jarocho.
“The music of the son jarocho is the example of the migration of all music encapsulated in one place. It has the Arab, the African, the Spanish, the jarana and the vihuela … Music that comes from all over the world and there, In the hands of these musicians is where the purest Mexico is heard. Because they are not afraid to open their hearts, their art and their culture to everything they can learn. And for me, they are the best musicians with whom I have touched in my life “, details this artist who was born in Mexico.
And it is precisely because of his interest in the origins of Afro-Latin music that Arturo O’Farrill has also established a relationship with Cuban artists. And he explained what this historical moment that is being lived on the island means for him: “I’ll tell you the truth: I’m not going [a Cuba] For political reasons, I go out of gratitude. Since 2002 I go four or five times a year and bring musicians from there to here and vice versa. And for me, the most important value – right now – is compassion. The blockade is very ugly, what is happening in Cuba is very ugly, as is what is happening with both governments. And that has to stop. “
The reopening of the city has O’Farrill and his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra with a very busy schedule, but everyone is excited to return to play in front of the public, like in this concert in Little Island Park.
“For me this is my life, it is what I do. I was born for this moment, to live with such beautiful people. To have that conversation that does not take words, only music. It is love and something very spiritual that cannot be done. on an album, it has to be done live “, says the director.
For more information about the Alianza de Jazz Afrolatino, visit the website: afrolatinjazz.org
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