Chico O'Farrill

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Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill (born October 28, 1921 in Havana , Cuba ; † June 27, 2001 in New York City , New York ) was an American musician, arranger and composer of Cuban origin.

Live and act

Chico O'Farrill came to the Riverside Military Academy in Florida as a teenager, where he also studied trumpet and piano. During his law studies he worked with various Cuban groups for which he began arranging. In 1948 he moved to New York , where he studied with Hall Overton and Bernd Wagenaar . He worked as an arranger for Benny Goodman , for Machito (1950, Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite with Charlie Parker ), for Stan Kenton , for Dizzy Gillespie (1954, Manteca Suite ) and Art Farmer . Since 1951 he occasionally directed his own bands, moved back to Havana in 1955 , from there to Mexico City in 1959 , where he wrote concert and film scores . From 1965 he worked again in New York and wrote for Count Basie , Cal Tjader , Clark Terry , Candido , Frank Wess , Gato Barbieri , Mario Bauzá and for his own record productions. In addition, he wrote music for television and advertising. He wrote a trumpet concerto for Wynton Marsalis . With his Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band , he produced three albums, including a Grammy nominated Pure Emotion (1996).

Discography (selection)

Filmography (selection)

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composer

  • 1983: Guaguasi

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personal data
SURNAME O'Farrill, Chico
ALTERNATIVE NAMES O'Farrill, Arturo (other name); The Duke Ellington of Latin Jazz (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer and arranger
DATE OF BIRTH October 28, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Havana , Cuba
DATE OF DEATH June 27, 2001
Place of death New York City , New York, United States