The only jazz magazine in NY in print, online DIGITAL-ONLY and on apps! ISSUE July 2020 www.hothousejazz.com Dizzy's Club Jazz from Home Page 5 ALEXA TARANTINO ARTURO O’FARRILL ALLAN HARRIS Virtual Birdland Page 3 Birdland Page 7 Where To Go & Who To See Since 1982 2 ARTURO O'FARRILL Jazz in the Time of COVID-19 By Eugene Holley, Jr. HIS YEAR WAS GOING TO BE A Tbig one for the Grammy Award-win- ning pianist, composer, arranger, band- leader and educator Arturo O'Farrill, the founder and artistic director of the 18-piece Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO). He had some important festival gigs lined up, sev- eral commissions, plus a rigorous, bicoastal teaching schedule with the Manhattan School of Music and UCLA's Global Jazz Studies Program. He also recently released a new ALJO CD, Four Questions, a compelling and com- prehensive eight-track tour de force, fea- turing Arturo's swinging modern jazz Though the bandleader definitely lost arrangements, propelled by Pan-American out on major work during this worldwide and African rhythms, and an evocative crisis, he is fortunate to continue to find vocal chorus. The album also features the gigs. A long-time fixture at New York's fiery oratory of writer, educator and famed Birdland club, Arturo produces philosopher Cornel West, reading and riff- Virtual Birdland, a weekly Internet broad- ing on four questions posed by the tower- cast that "takes five days of recording a ing African-American author, intellectual rhythm section, recording horns, recording and social scientist W.E.B. Du Bois in his soloists, video editing and sound mixing," epic 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk: he explains. The series celebrated the cen- What does integrity do in the face of adver- tennial of Charlie Parker's birth with a sity? What does honesty do in the face of performance of the renowned Afro-Cuban lies? What does decency do in the face of Jazz Suite, composed and recorded by insult? How does virtue meet force? Arturo's father, the great Cuban band- Then the pandemic came, and the rest, leader and composer Chico O'Farrill. The unfortunately, was not history. critically acclaimed alto saxophonist "I lost a ton of work," Arturo laments. "I Rudresh Mahanthappa reprises Parker's was supposed to play the Newport Jazz role as the lead soloist on the original Festival and the Rochester Jazz Festival recording. this year. I had two world premieres, one "Every week, we produce new material at the Miller Theater at Columbia for this series," Arturo says. "I have to say, University and at the Joyce Theater with in view of this horrendous murder of the Cuban Ballet Company. I had a film George Floyd, and the tremendous pain premiere for the documentary that was this nation has been going through, it was made about the Fandango Project that we a difficult decision [to go through with the recorded at the border of Mexico and the broadcast]. But I decided that musicians United States. And I was so looking for- make music: That's how we help heal the ward to doing one of the greatest concerts planet. So this is not just a gig, or a cele- of my life: a Carla Bley concert at Town bration of mambo. It's really an attempt to Hall, a [tribute] to one of my greatest stand strong, in the face of an extraordinar- heroes." ily scary and depressing time in history." Arturo, a passionate and articulate With the need for families to shelter in thinker and commentator on musical and place in recent months, Arturo moved his social matters, went into action. With his wife (pianist Alison) and two sons (drum- own money and financial contributions mer Zachary and trumpeter Adam) from from others, he created the Afro-Latin Jazz Brooklyn to live with him in Los Angeles, Alliance Emergency Fund, just days after where he has been staying since the virus the pandemic hit the U.S. Named for the hit. "In this pandemic, my son [Adam] and umbrella organization that includes the I rubbed each other the wrong way a lot," ALJO, the Alliance is a New York-based he notes with a laugh. "But we established nonprofit organization "dedicated to pre- this beautiful bond, of looking at each, and serving the music and heritage of big band forgiving each other, and understanding Latin jazz through performance and edu- each other. And I think we caught that on cation." Arturo raised more than $50,000 one of our livestreams at the Greene for over 150 musicians. "We've been really Space: 'Adam and Arturo O'Farrill Live.' lucky to extend our hands, to help people," he says. continued on page 12 Tarantino cover photo by Anna Yatskevich. O'Farrill photo this page by Matthew Septimus. 3 4 proceeds to organizations like the New Artists Online York Foundation for the Arts and the Jazz Foundation of America, later concerts have ALEXA TARANTINO directed funds to organizations including the NAACP and the Grassroots Law By Seton Hawkins Project. "Neither of us had looked at this as a money-making venture," Alexa explains. "It's been an amazing opportunity to give back." Her online voice has expanded further in recent weeks, as an ongoing relationship with Jazz at Lincoln Center has yielded a second platform, focusing on artist devel- opment and education. The collaboration's output, "The Well-Rounded Musician," is a weekly Thursday webcast during which Alexa discusses aspects of building a life in music. "I've felt there is a lack of informa- tion for students wanting to set them- selves up for success in their careers," she notes. "So I wanted to use the platform to offer a self-motivated, entrepreneurial education." OR MORE THAN THREE MONTHS, "The Well-Rounded Musician" has Fa joyous event has occurred every indeed delivered on providing entrepre- Sunday evening, as saxophonist and neurial training, drawing on Alexa's own flautist Alexa Tarantino and pianist education at Eastman and at Juilliard as Steven Feifke offer a weekly webcast per- well as skills honed on the job via profes- formance, via the Crowdcast platform. sional work. Webcast episodes include dis- Mixing preshow discussions with a warm- cussions on often nonmusical but still cru- ly presented recital, the duo has covered cial topics like developing press kits, hon- material from original compositions to fan ing public-speaking skills, establishing a favorites like the Thelonious Monk song- web presence and more. "While the music book or the works of Miles Davis. Anyone always comes first, if you don't have these tuning in might hear tunes drawn from pieces together, you might not be the first- Alexa's latest album, Clarity (an essential call for the gig," Alexa points out. The con- new quartet record released in June), tent on offer appears to have found an along with audience requests that help to audience: With viewers tuning in from determine forthcoming shows, including a around the world, the webcasts have not celebration of Frank Sinatra. only served to connect viewers with impor- For Alexa, the decision to start stream- tant educational content, they have also ing concerts developed earlier this year, as helped instill a broader sense of community. a tour was winding down. "I was on the In the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, road with Cécile McLorin Salvant in Alexa's work has served as a truly welcome Oakland, and at that point we didn't really and deeply needed respite, and upcoming know what to expect," she recalls. "But on projects of hers like an online summer the road, we were talking about how larg- camp will offer even more touchpoints with er orchestras in Europe were doing live the performance and educational commu- streams from empty halls. When I came nities. The uncertainty of the immediate home, Steven and I decided to start per- future of the performing arts poses an forming right away." Premiering March undeniable hardship and strain on every 15, the first concert offered a wonderful member of the industry. To see an artist mix of material, with a warm and inviting adapt to the current environment and presentation that set the tone for the run. deliver such much-needed performance Indeed, as the series has progressed, Alexa and teaching work is an inspiration for and Steven have refined the presentation many. model, consistently delivering some of their finest playing in a beautifully inti- Catch Alexa Tarantino & Steven mate setting. As much as we all miss clubs Feifke every Sunday for a preconcert and concert halls, these duo shows manage conversation at 7 p.m. and a perform- to offer a closeness between artist and ance at 8 p.m. on www.crowdcast.io/. audience that even the coziest venue can- You also can hear her every Thursday not deliver. at 9:30 p.m. when she presents the The initial concert also set a precedent "The Well-Rounded Musician with for the pair, harnessing the events to help Alexa Tarantino" series at www.face raise funds in support of social good. While book.com/jazzatlincolncenter. To the original streams focused on aid for learn more about Alexa's projects, musicians, dedicating 25 percent of the visit www.alexatarantino.com. 5 6 ing my way, writing out scripts, putting set lists together." ALLAN HARRIS Once a week Allan takes a solo turn on Lifelong Learning "Harlem After Dark," just the man and his guitar, delving into a vast and varied By Elzy Kolb repertoire encompassing Billy Strayhorn, Charlie Pride, Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye and his own compositions.