JAZZ ACROSS THE AMERICAS - AN AFRO CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCE

National Sawdust at Chelsea Factory

The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance Presents Jazz Across the Americas - An Afro Caribbean Experience

June 16, 2022 at 8:00 PM

June 17, 2022 at 8:00 PM, pre-show talk at 7:00 PM

Performance time: 115 minutes, including one intermission

The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA) presents a celebration of jazz interpretations of the islands with orchestrations of beloved Island masterpieces, interspersed with the contemporary works of Island composers. Hosted by the multi-GRAMMY Award-winning Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, performances will feature guest artists including legendary Haitian singer/composer Emeline Michel.

Jazz Across the Americas represents ALJA’s commitment to infuse the sounds of all the Americas into our musical palette. The rhythms of the Caribbean, the song forms and styles all flow effortlessly into the future of this ever-evolving love affair we call jazz. An art form that is only truly "American" when we accept the notion that we are all part of a cultural Kente cloth that stretches from Africa, touching Haiti, the Dominican Republic, New Orleans and all people with adventurous souls and open minds.

About Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
GRAMMY Award-winning pianist, composer, and educator Arturo O'Farrill—leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (New York Times)—was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. Son of the late, great composer Chico O'Farrill, Arturo played piano in Carla Bley's Big Band from 1979 through 1983 and earned a reputation as a soloist in groups led by Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Turre, Freddy Cole, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. In 2002, he established the GRAMMY Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) to bring the vital musical traditions of Afro Latin jazz to a wider general audience, and to greatly expand the contemporary Latin jazz big band repertoire through commissions to artists across a wide stylistic and geographic range.

In March 2021, O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra won their 7th GRAMMY for Four Questions, with Cornel West as guest orator. In September 2018, O'Farrill released his album, Fandango at the Wall: A Soundtrack for the United States, Mexico, and Beyond, featuring the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Antonio Sánchez, Regina Carter, Akua Dixon, Mandy González, Patricio Hidalgo, Rahim AlHaj, and Ramón Gutiérrez Hernández. This was also released as a documentary for HBO MAX called Fandango at the Wall. In 2019, O'Farrill was appointed Professor at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in the Global Jazz Studies department and is currently the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. O'Farrill's debut recording with Blue Note Records …dreaming in lions… is nominated for a 2022 GRAMMY Award in the "Best Instrumental Composition" category, and his album, Virtual Birdland (ZOHO), is nominated for "Best Latin Jazz Album." O'Farrill is a Steinway Artist and records for Blue Note Records.

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. Eighteen 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.

Emeline Michel (Featured Guest)
Only a few performers earn acclaim for developing a unique sound, and Emeline Michel can count herself among those few. Known for her fusion of traditional Haitian rhythms (kompa, rasyn, and twoubadou) with other musical genres (pop, jazz, and blues), Michel creates a sound, appealing to both traditional and contemporary listeners worldwide.

Born in Haiti, Michel’s foray into music began as a singer in the Church of Gonaives’ gospel choir. She studied at the Detroit Jazz Center and later returned to Haiti. Her albums have included Douvanjou ka leve, Tankou Melodie, and Ban’m Pase. Michel’s second album, Tout Mon Temps, featured the top single, “A.K.I.K.O.” which urged Haitians to stop fighting, come together, and create a country that would make the next generation proud.

Michel’s list of appearances is quite extensive, including at Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, and the Teatro del Silencio, where she performed with Andrea Bocelli and the Choir Voices of Haiti in Italy. Michel's performance on MTV’s "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon led the New York Times’ Ben Sisario to declare Michel a “diplomat of music” and a “dancing ambassador with a voice as serene and warm like the breeze.”

Michel has received countless awards, including the Haiti Musique en Folie Award for Best Haitian Album and Best Production for Cordes et Ame (2000). In Michel’s autobiographical documentary, The Aroma of My Land (2019), viewers can hear Michel’s life story in her words and view behind the scenes exclusives.

Godwin Louis (Featured Guest) 
Alto saxophonist Godwin Louis was born in Harlem, New York and began playing saxophone at age nine. Godwin grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Port au Prince, Haiti. Godwin was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Saxophone Competition. He has performed around the globe including: Mali, Senegal, Togo, France, Finland, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Venezuela, Colombia, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia. Godwin is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance. Godwin has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Roger Dickerson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Jack Dejohnette, Jimmy Heath, Billy Preston, Patti Labelle, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Barry Harris, Howard Shore, David Baker, Mulatu Astakte, Mahmoud Ahmed, Wynton Marsalis, and Terence Blanchard just to name a few.

In addition, Godwin has performed as a sideman, guest soloist and has conducted clinics and master classes worldwide. As a composer, Godwin has received the Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Grant, and the Jazz Gallery's "New Works Commission". As an educator, humanitarian and ambassador, Godwin has traveled from Benin to China to help promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce thousands to America’s indigenous art form, through public concerts, master classes, and jam sessions. Godwin is the founder of Experience Ayiti, a nonprofit educational, multidisciplinary arts organization. Godwin is currently an Assistant Professor at the prestigious Berklee College Of Music’s Woodwind Department. Godwin’s debut album as a leader, entitled “Global”, was released in February 2019.

Please plan to arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to the performance start time to allow for vaccination checks, security screenings, and seating.

Health and Safety Protocols
Chelsea Factory will be implementing the following procedures to help ensure the health and safety of our patrons, staff, and artists:

• Proof of COVID-19 vaccination

• Masks worn at all times inside Chelsea Factory

Click here for our full Health and Safety Protocols.