St. Ann’s Warehouse announced its upcoming Fandango At The Wall concert in Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 9th. Arturo O’Farrill and 30 musicians from the U.S., Mexico and beyond reunite to celebrate the 300-year old son Jarocho sound of Mexico. Based in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, St. Ann’s Warehouse plays a vital role on the global cultural landscape as an American artistic home for international companies of distinction, American avant-garde masters and talented emerging artists ready to work on a grand scale.
Based on the original 1860’s Tobacco Warehouse, St. Ann’s Warehouse is a waterfront theater that opened in October 2015 in the heart of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The building includes a Studio, a welcoming foyer/exhibit space, and The Max Family Garden. It has reconfigured its facade and rooftop balconies for public art presentations during the pandemic.
The Fandango at the Wall concert is rooted in the Fandango Fronterizo Festival, a cross-border fandango, or jam session, that has taken place annually since 2008 and features son jarocho music from Veracruz, Mexico, performed on both sides of the Tijuana/San Diego border wall.
The musicians participating in this upcoming concert include Arturo O’Farrill, the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Conga Patria Son Jarocho Collective (featuring Patricio Hidalgo, Ramon Guitierrez, Tacho Utrera, Wendy Cao Romero, Fernando Guadarrama, and Jorge Francisco Castillo); Mexican trio The Villalobos Brothers; American jazz violinist Regina Carter; American cellist and composer Akua Dixon; Iraqi-American oud virtuoso Rahim AlHaj; and the Iranian-born tar and setar player Sahba Motalebbi.
Former BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins has joined St. Ann’s Warehouse and the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance as Executive Producer of the concert.
Fandango at the Wall is especially important now, when so many things are going wrong and such horrible violence is wreaking havoc on our nation. It’s more important than ever to state that borders don’t exist—they’re manmade. Brooklyn Bridge Park is the perfect place to express that, because of the diversity and the wonderful way that New Yorkers come together. We look forward to celebrating humanity, celebrating togetherness, celebrating peace with you through the music of son jarocho.
Arturo O’Farrill
The Fandango at the Wall concert will be presented July 9 at 7pm at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1, which is located at 2 Furman St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. In case of rain, the concert will be held inside St. Ann’s Warehouse (45 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201).
Fandango at the Wall is free to the public. RSVPs are encouraged, but not required. Learn more and RSVP at stannswarehouse.org.
Artists appearing at Fandango at the Wall include:
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Arturo O’Farrill is son of composer Chico O’Farrill, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. He is a pianist who has been nominated by Grammy for multiple times, and meanwhile a Professor at UCLA.
In 2002, he established Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) to introduce musical traditions of Afro Latin jazz to a wider general audience, and to greatly expand the contemporary Latin jazz big band repertoire. In March 2021, O’Farrill and the ALJO won their 7th Grammy for Four Questions. In September 2018, O’Farrill and ALJO released the album, Fandango at the Wall: A Soundtrack for the United States, Mexico, and Beyond, and participated in the documentary for HBO MAX.
Rahim AlHaj
Rahim AlHaj began playing oud at the age of nine, and has composed pieces for solo oud, trio, string quintet, symphony, etc. Delicately combining traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary styling/influence, his pieces establish new concepts without altering the foundations of the traditional “Iraqi School of Oud.” Rahim has released 13 albums, receiving two Grammy nominations.
Wendy Cao Romero
Wendy Cao Romero has become a fandango dancer since 1987. She is a key member of the Utrera family, and has produced numerous field recordings of older son jarocho musicians. Wendy is also a radio producer and an educator, she teaches textile arts in El Hato “Mujeres Tejedoras,” an organization of thirty women.
Regina Carter
Grammy-nominated violinist Regina Carter is passionate about performing, recording, teaching, and mentoring bringing music into nursing homes and hospice settings. She explores a wide range of genres—including jazz, R&B, Latin, classical, blues, country, pop, and African music. Her music has been recognized by the MacArthur “Genius” award and a Doris Duke Artist Award.
Jorge Castillo
Jorge Castillo is a professional classical guitar player grew up in Mexico, having received his first training at home at age nine. He graduated from the University of Texas El Paso. In 2006, Jorge was introduced to the fandango culture and the group Quemayama drove him to become the founder of the Fandango Fronterizo in 2008.
Akua Dixon
Akua Dixon is a cellist, composer, conductor, and educator. Akua Dixon has been at the forefront of improvising string players since 1973. Akua is a native New Yorker and attended High School of Performing Arts and studied cello with Benar Heifetz. She is the first cellist to win the Downbeat Critics Poll.
Fernando Guadarrama Olivera
Hailing from Cordoba, Veracruz, Fernando is an expert at performing ten-line verses known as “Decimas in Son Jarocho.” Fernando has lived in Oaxaca for nearly thirty years and has played the jaraba for twenty-eight years. He has also taught poetry for son jarocho music for some twenty years. He also is the director of a poetry and son workshop in Tapacamino, Oaxaca, since 2005.
Ramon Gutiérrez Hernández
Raised in Tres Zapotes, Veracruz, Ramon was introduced to the requinto at a young age. He has played it for over 30 years. In his music, he channels the great spirits of son jarocho veterans and masters while also forging ahead and cultivating a modern sound. As an educator, he has taught workshops on jarana, requinto, and zapateado.
Patricio Hidalgo Belli
Patricio, a son jarocho musician, was born in Apixita, Veracruz, and is the grandson of Arcadio Hidalgo, one of the most iconic son jarocho musicians of the twentieth century. Patricio started playing the guitar young and became a songwriter and master soloist.
Sahba Motallebi
Sahba Motallebi, a modern virtuoso of the tar and setar, studyed music as a young girl in Sari, Northern Iran. Her talent garnered an invitation to study at the Tehran Conservatory of Music when she was 14. After graduating from Conservatory in 1997, she co-founded the groundbreaking women’s music ensemble Chakaveh.
Tacho Utrera
Born in El Hato, Veracruz, Tacho is a talented musician, carpenter, and luthier who learned to make instruments from his father and grandfather. He plays the leona, requinto, and jarana and has enjoyed a thirty-year career as a son jarocho musician.
The Villalobos Brothers
The Villalobos Brothers have been acclaimed as one of today’s leading Contemporary Mexican ensembles. Their original compositions and arrangements masterfully blend Mexican folk music with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical music. Ernesto, Alberto, and Luis Villalobos use their violins and voices to redefine contemporary Mexican music.
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