Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra to Tour U.S., Abroad

Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) has announced the dates for its Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra’s (ALJO) 2004 summer tour. Titled “Mambo Madness” the tour takes the Latin-jazz orchestra through the U.S and to a debut performance in Shanghai, China. In each city, the ALJO, led by pianist Arturo O’Farrill (pictured), son of the pioneering composer and bandleader Chico O’Farrill, will expose audiences to the traditions of Latin jazz by performing some of the genre’s most famous tunes as well as new works and compositions by the ALJO.

“The ALJO is comprised of the cream of the crop in Latin jazz musicians,” O’Farrill said in a press release. “We are performing the seminal works of the Latin jazz Masters and commissioning a new body of work for this genre. With all of this, we are deeply committed to the precepts of groove and clavé. This is the real deal, get ready to swing hard!”

During the JALC 2002-2003 season, the ALJO was inaugurated as a resident band of the non-profit jazz organization. The large ensemble, comprised of 18 soloists, also commissions new work and leads educational events.

The members of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra are Arturo O’Farrill, Music Director and Piano; Michael Philip Mossman, Trumpet; John Walsh, Trumpet; Jim Seeley, Trumpet; Mike Rodriguez, Trumpet; Luis Bonilla, Trombone; Noah Bless, Trombone; Reynaldo Jorge, Trombone; Douglas Purviance, Bass Trombone; Erica vonKleist, Alto Saxophone; Bobby Porcelli, Alto Saxophone; Pablo Calogero, Baritone Saxophone; Mario Rivera, Tenor Saxophone; Ivan Renta, Tenor Saxophone; Ruben Rodriguez, Bass; Phoenix Rivera, Drums; Joe Gonzalez, Percussion; and Milton Cardona, Percussion.

ALJO tour dates:

8.11.04 • Hollywood Bowl • Los Angeles, CA

8.13.04 • El Teatro Miranda • Bronx, NY

9.17.04 • Jazz by the Boulevard • Ft. Worth, TX

9.18.04 • Jazz S’alive / Travis Park • San Antonio, TX

9.19.04 • Monterey Jazz Festival • Monterey, CA

10.6-7.04 • Shanghai Concert Hall • Shanghai, China

10.29.04 • Orchestra Hall • Detroit, MI

11.10.04 • Memorial Auditorium – Concert • Stanford, CA

11.11.04 • Memorial Auditorium – J4YP • Stanford, CA

11.12.04 • Paramount Theater • Seattle, WA

11.13.04 • University of California – Davis • Davis, CA

1.22.05 • Rialto Center for the Performing Arts • Atlanta, GA

3.25.05 • Wharton Center for the Performing Arts • East Lansing, MI

4.05.05 • University of Illinois • Champaign, IL

4.09.05 • University of Massachusetts – Amherst High School Jazz Band Adjudication & Concert • Amherst, MA

4.14.05 • Bovard Auditorium, University of Southern California • Los Angeles, CA

4.22.05 • NJPAC • Newark, NJ

4.14.05 • McCarter Theatre • Princeton, NJ

Originally Published July 24, 2004