Cuba’s Musical Revolution Continues Apace

One of late 1990s musical landmarks was the album Heart of a Legend. A homage to the great Cuban-born composer, bandleader and trumpeter extraordinaire Arturo “Chico” O’ Farrill, this record boasted five-star contributions by the likes of Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D’ Rivera, in addition to both O’ Farrills, Snr and Jnr, very own input.

Never short of a catchy lick, Arturo O’ Farrill Jnr’s music manages to combine both a big orchestra-sound and a mellow, intimate one. Performing at the Barbican, as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival, on Friday 23rd November, O’ Farrill will be joined by his band, including his sons Adam O’ Farrill on trumpet and Zack O’ Farrill on drums.

The show on Friday 23rd November is a triple bill, advertising itself as an opportunity to see Cuba’s fast-emerging and boundary-pushing new generation of jazz artists. Spearheading this movement, amongst others, are Omar Sosa and Yilian Cañizares, pianist and violinist respectively. Their recent collaboration, Aguas (Waters), is a beautiful and deeply lyrical album, looking to marry the points of view of two artists living outside Cuba in their own idiosyncratic ways. For evidence of the subtle, energy-driven and spiritual synergy the duo manages to harness on the record, look no further than the closing track, D2 de Africa.