Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra + VNote Ensemble

The Grammy-award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), led by pianist, composer, and director Arturo O’Farrill, kicks off the Festival on Sunday, May 7 at 1:00pm. The ALJO brings together the drama of big band jazz, the culture of Latin music, and the virtuosity of eighteen of the world’s most accomplished solo musicians. Twelve years of critically acclaimed performances internationally have firmly established the ALJO as the standard-bearer for creative interpretation of Latin jazz greats such as Tito Puente, Frank “Machito” Grillo, and Chico O’Farrill, as well as the driving force behind new commissions from Latin music’s most talented composers and arrangers. His talent-laden 18-piece ensemble combines stellar arrangements of music by Tito Puente, Frank “Machito” Grillo, and Chico O’Farrill, as well as newly commissioned works from Latin music’s leading composers and arrangers. Sharing the bill is the Bay Area’s VNote Ensemble, a group founded by Caracas-born Jackie Rago, a brilliant percussionist and maestra of the four-string cuatro. Over the past decade the group has honed a singular sound blending folkloric Venezuelan music and modern jazz.