Grammy-winning pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra announced that their legendary 29-year weekly New York City residency will continue at two new venues following the conclusion of their long-running Sunday night run at Birdland.
Beginning Sunday, April 19, the Orchestra performs every Sunday at City Winery Manhattan through May 31, with most shows at 11:30 a.m. and select dates on May 10, 24 and 31 moving to 7 p.m. Starting Tuesday, June 2, the Orchestra launches a new weekly Tuesday night series at The Pocket, a new jazz club opening on West 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan, with shows at 7 and 9 p.m.
The weekly residency was originally started by O’Farrill’s father, the late Cuban jazz legend Chico O’Farrill, and has been a fixture of New York City’s cultural life for nearly three decades. During the pandemic, O’Farrill partnered with Wynton Marsalis on a fundraising effort that raised over $400,000 to help Birdland survive venue closures, and hosted a weekly virtual concert series to keep audiences connected to the music.
The announcement comes on the heels of a landmark moment for Belongó, the NYC-based nonprofit O’Farrill founded in 2007. In February, the organization broke ground on Casa Belongó, a state-of-the-art performance space and music education hub set to occupy the first two floors of Timbale Terrace, a 341-unit affordable housing development in East Harlem. Mayor Mamdani spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, where O’Farrill premiered a new composition written for the occasion.
The Orchestra also performs Friday, May 1 at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY, and Saturday, May 9 at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Greenvale on Long Island, before a two-night run Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 at El Museo Del Barrio in East Harlem as part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 Festival.
Founded in 2007, Belongó provides free music education to tens of thousands of New York City students annually through public school residencies, senior centers, community centers and prisons. Its Fat Cats youth orchestra program, now celebrating its 15th year, continues its Sunday residency at Shapeshifter Lab in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra — Upcoming New York Dates:
April
16-18 – National Sawdust – Williamsburg, Brooklyn Arturo O’Farrill & Akua Dixon’s Quartette Indigo
19 – City Winery Manhattan – West Side, Manhattan Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Sunday residency begins — every Sunday through May 31, 11:30 a.m. (May 10, 24, 31 at 7 p.m.)
25 – Harlem Library – Harlem, Manhattan Afro Latin Jazz Music Exploration monthly residency
May
1 – The Falcon – Marlboro, NY
7 – Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park – Washington Heights, Manhattan Belongó Senior Social: Live Music, Birthdays and Harlem Spirit
8 – University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA
9 – Tilles Center for the Performing Arts – Greenvale, NY
15-16 – El Museo Del Barrio – East Harlem, Manhattan Part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 Festival
17 – Shapeshifter Lab – Gowanus, Brooklyn Fat Cats 15th Anniversary Afternoon Concert Series
29 – South Bronx Cultural Festival – Father Gigante Plaza, Bronx, NY
June
2 – The Pocket – West 46th Street, Manhattan Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Tuesday night residency begins — 7 and 9 p.m. every Tuesday
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