Chico O'Farrill(1921-2001)
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
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.