Chico O'Farrill

A master trumpeter-composer-arranger who blended Jazz, European Classical, and Afro-Cuban rhythms created one of the most impressive and respected Big Band sounds of any era. He became interested in Jazz while he was attending military school in the United States, much to the chagrin of his father who had expected him to become a lawyer. Shortly after playing for various bands throughout Cuba in the 1940s, he began composing for Benny Goodman and Stan Kenton. Additionally, many compositions credited to arranger Gil Fuller were actually composed by O'Farrill. By the 1950s he was composing for Jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Art Farmer, Afro-Cuban pioneer bandleader "Machito", and Nino Morales. After a period in the United States he returned to Cuba in 1955, later moving to Mexico in 1957. Back in New York City in 1965, O'Farrill lent his arranger's craft to artists as diverse as Count Basie, Gato Barbieri, Dizzy Gillespie, and David Bowie. Late in life he was busier than ever composing and arranging for symphonies, TV, and film. Although prolific as a composer and arranger, he did not record much as a leader. Nevertheless, he was honored with a Grammy nomination for his late 1990s album "Pure Emotion". He left a legacy of artistic excellence that has influenced musicians of every genre, and increased the visibility of the often undervalued musicians who specialize in musical arranging.