AOTW April 30 - May 6, 2006

[mikeweil]

"The Unintended Trilogy" - Pure Emotion - The Heart of a Legend - Carambola

The first of these three albums was released on Milestone in 1995 and was the first release in twenty years of one of the greatest arrangers in Afro-Cuban music as well as jazz, Chico O'Farrill. It was deservedly nominated for a Grammy. 1999 and 2000 saw the releases of the other two, which turned out to be the last of his albums before his death on June 27, 2001 in New York, making this an "unintended trilogy", as it was called in the liner notes to Carambola.

O'Farrill was born Arturo O'Farrill on October 28, 1921 in Havana, Cuba, into an emigrated Irish family - that he became one of the best writers of Cuban music is a minor miracle in itself.

When I got the two of these still missing in the current Zweitausendeins Fantasy sales, and noticed that no Latin Jazz had been nominated for Album of the Week before, my choice was clear. Feel free to discuss all or any of these three albums which give a great picture of a great arranger. I will post more details and comments next week.

His AMG biography says:

Chico O'Farrill was right in the thick of the Afro-Cuban and Latin waves that hit jazz in the late '40s and '50s. His sophisticated writing for Latin big bands of the early '50s was often bold, brassy, and tense, yet he could also achieve a delicate, almost classical ambience in such pieces as "Angels' Flight" and work capably in larger forms (the groundbreaking "Afro-Cuban Jazz Suites").

O'Farrill took up the trumpet while in military school in Georgia, returning to Cuba as a full-fledged jazz fan after hearing the top American big bands. He studied composition in his native Havana and led his own band there before moving to New York City in 1948, where he soon made a name for himself writing music for Benny Goodman ("Undercurrent Blues"), Stan Kenton ("Cuban Episode"), and Machito ("Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite"). From 1950 to 1954, O'Farrill made six fiery 10" albums of Latin and American big band jazz for Clef and Norgran, all of which have been reissued on a Verve two-CD set, Cuban Blues. He also appeared with his own band at Birdland and toured the U.S. Toward the end of the decade, he moved to Mexico City, returning to New York in 1965 to work as arranger and music director of the TV series Festival of the Lively Arts and to write arrangements for Count Basie. O'Farrill also put his classical training to use by writing pieces for symphony orchestra such as "Three Cuban Dances" and "Symphony No. 1." Though he continued to write pieces for Machito, Kenton, Gato Barbieri, and Dizzy Gillespie into the '70s, there were no recording sessions under O'Farrill's name from 1966 until 1995, when he came roaring back on the scene, his imagination and vigor miraculously intact, with the outstanding Pure Emotion CD (Milestone). He recorded two more strong albums for Milestone, the last being Carambola, released in October 2000. Eight months later, on June 27, 2001, Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill died while hospitalized in New York.

Edited April 28, 2006 by mikeweil

[Guy Berger]

I will have to check out some of this music. Based on your description and various reviews it must be excellent.

Guy

[mikeweil]

Yes the music is great. This morning I compared them to Mario Bauza's last three CDs for Messidor, another unintended trilogy before the passing of a giant in Latin music, with Chico's Tanga Suite incidentally on the first and one each on the next, but Bauza's basically was a Latin dance band, with jazz inflections in the horn section writing and jazz solos, whereas O'Farrill was a little more on the jazz side, having written for Goodman, Basie, Kenton, and the like - and thus should be more engaging for the jazz listener. With O'Farrill the jazz is in the writing, on a deep level.

[ejp626]

I don't have any of these albums unfortunately, but I do have the great 2 CD set of O'Farrill on Verve called Cuban Blues. I think I read this is being slated for removal from the catalogue, but it is currently in print. There is also a Lonehill version of the Verve tracks, but I would certainly recommend buying Cuban Blues instead. I don't think I'll be able to obtain any of the CDs in the trilogy -- in the next few weeks at any rate.

[ejp626]

I don't think I'll be able to obtain any of the CDs in the trilogy -- in the next few weeks at any rate.

Whoops - spoke too soon. It looks like all three are on emusic and I have a few downloads left. If I could only get one of the three this month, which should it be? Thanks.

[mikeweil]

Toss a coin or simply start with the first one, Pure Emotion, there all equally good.

[Enterprise Server]

Gotta bring this one up. I absolutely love those Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land collaborations. Medina demonstrates those illustrious and outstanding recordings between the two.

[mikeweil]

Gotta bring this one up. I absolutely love those Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land collaborations. Medina demonstrates those illustrious and outstanding recordings between the two.

That's very nice choice, and I love all the Hutcherson-Land collaborations, but I'm afraid you misunderstood how the Album of the week forum works. Take a look here, send a PM to John S to apply, and start your thread when it's your turn - I'm sure this will attract some commentary. But please look up here to make sure this hasn't been brought up before; in this case, post your comments there.

Please delete this post here - no offense intended.