SUNY Honors Grammy Winner Arturo O'Farrill, Latin Jazz Pioneer

Albany – The State University of New York Board of Trustees will celebrate Latin jazz pioneer, Grammy winning musician and SUNY faculty-member, Arturo O’Farrill at a reception in his honor at The Egg in Albany, NY on March 28.

SUNY and Jazz/Latino Inc. will be co-hosts of the reception honoring O’Farrill after Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and The Ballet Hispanico perform at 8 p.m.

O'Farrill, pianist and director of the Purchase College Latin Jazz Orchestra, received a Grammy Award this year for Best Latin Jazz Album for “Song for Chico performed by Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra,” Zoho Music (2008). He was recently profiled in a New York Times article, “Putting Latin Jazz Front and Center” (March 8, 2009) and is widely credited for giving the genre its due.

“Arturo O’Farrill is a star, pure and simple, and it’s an honor to have him as a member of the State University of New York faculty – not only for the prestige he brings to his campus and our system as a Grammy winner but for the gifts he brings his students as a teacher,” said Trustee Robert J. Bellafiore. “Arturo is a shining example of the quality of our faculty in music, the sciences, liberal arts, research and all other disciplines.”

“This year marks Jazz/Latino’s third anniversary and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this important moment in the life of our organization, then by co-hosting Arturo’s performance with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and Ballet Hispanico at The Egg,” said Jose Cruz, President of Jazz/Latino Inc. “As Jazz/Latino’s president and as a SUNY faculty member myself, I am doubly pleased that SUNY has taken this opportunity to recognize and congratulate one of its own as well.”

“We are proud to have Arturo O’Farrill as a member of our Purchase College faculty,” said Purchase College President Thomas J. Schwarz. “He is an extraordinary composer, musician and now Grammy Award winner who represents the high standards which are hallmarks of the School of the Arts at Purchase College. What a joy for our students to study with someone who is so widely regarded and who instills respect and admiration for some of the richest music in Latin Jazz and the Afro-Cuban movement.”

"The honor of being recognized by the State University of New York for the work you've done in your field is really a good feeling,” said O’Farrill. “Being a part of the outstanding faculty of the Purchase College and interacting with the incredible students of this institution is one of my most cherished achievements and together they help me to define why I do what I do. To seek excellence, in my art and in my teaching is a constant reminder of the important things in life.”

In addition to O’Farrill, three members of Purchase’s part-time faculty (Ralph Lalama, John Riley and Scott Wendholt) performed on the album, “Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard” which garnered a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. 

About Arturo O’Farrill

Arturo O’Farrill, pianist, composer, educator and winner of the Latin Jazz USA Outstanding Achievement Award for 2003, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City.  In 2002, Mr. O’Farrill created the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra for Jazz at Lincoln Center due in part to a large and very demanding body of substantial music in the genre of Latin and Afro Cuban Jazz that deserves to be much more widely appreciated and experienced by the general jazz audience.  His debut album with the Orchestra “Una Noche Inolvidable” earned a Grammy award nomination in 2006.  

About the Purchase College Jazz Program

The Jazz Program at Purchase College is a dynamic and intensive training experience for the aspiring performer.  It boasts one of the finest performer/educator faculties in the nation and is highly acclaimed among today’s leading institutions.  Its performance driven curriculum strives to emphasize practical training.  To learn more about Purchase College, visit www.purchase.edu

About Jazz/Latino Inc.

Jazz/Latino, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the promotion of jazz and Latin jazz education and appreciation. Our signature event is the Ahora, Latin/Jazz! concert series held annually. Jazz/Latino Inc. seeks to enrich the cultural environment of the capital region through concerts, lectures, conferences, and clinics. Jazz/Latino Inc. is committed to the values of diversity, pluralism, and cultural understanding.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 440,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

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