Four Questions (Zoho)
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra
Released April 10, 2020
Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album 2021
JAZZ FM 25 Best Jazz Albums of 2020
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kEG0HWkFjPZp7dj7Quo1FYAG9MKI_2eCc
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6uGW7PgMWhfbuvCtR8Biv9?si=gUHnvXW9SNGhBYxDJHiziA
About:
Grammy Award-winning pianist/composer Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra release their latest recording, Four Questions (ZOHO Music), featuring special guest Dr. Cornel West on the title composition “Four Questions” on Friday, April 10, 2020. Four Questions marks O’Farrill’s first album in his famed recording catalog to exclusively include all originally written compositions. Weaving together empowering messages for the times, Four Questions portrays the pioneering pianist as outspoken as ever on the obligation of artists to speak truth to the great injustices occurring across the globe.
Premiered live-in-concert at The Apollo Theater on May 21, 2016, “Four Questions” will now be available for worldwide audiences to hear on Four Questions with the electrifying Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra joined by Dr. Cornel West as a guest soloist, conductor, and percussionist. O’Farrill’s commissioned piece for the Apollo Theater as part of his MacDowell residency took the shape of Dr. Cornel West’s speech at Town Hall (Seattle, WA: October 9, 2014) based on his book, Black Prophetic Fire. Four questions posed by the great African American civil rights activist and author W. E. B. Du Bois in his 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk, are expounded upon by West while O’Farrill and his 18-piece orchestra usher in a jolt of inspiring fury.
The four essential themes from W.E.B. Du Bois’ seminal publication, include: What does integrity do in the face of adversity / oppression? What does honesty do in the face of lies / deception? What does decency do in the face of insult? How does virtue meet brute force?
“‘Four Questions’ is about bringing attention through Dr. West’s brilliance and vision, coupled with the subversive power of the Afro Latin Big Band, to the influence of revolutionary thought that demands we take stock of where we are as a country and demand better,” says Arturo O’Farrill, pianist/composer and Artistic Director of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. “We must pay tribute to the jazz greats like Coltrane, Holiday, Mingus, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, and carry on their legacy of bringing attention to the real issues of modern society through jazz music.”
A modern-day prophet, Dr. Cornel West joins the riveting Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra to hold our feet to the fire and demand that we deal with the social and political horrors of our day. Standing strong for what you believe in often threatens others in their complacency. To witness Dr. Cornel West in action is an awe-inspiring experience. He is widely renowned as a speaker of substantive truth within the intelligentsia community.
O’Farrill notes, “Watching Dr. West speak is one of the sublime musical moments of my life. His oratory has the weight of a John Coltrane solo. His rhythmic delivery has the tumbao of Mongo Santamaría. The humor with which he injects his very serious messages floats like Charlie Parker in flight and, oh, most sacred of all, when he gets deliberate, each word has the authenticity and Afrocentricity of Thelonious Monk’s right hand.”
More than ever the brilliance of Du Bois’ introspections, West’s interpretations and the pure jazz fire with which they are delivered are a salve for those who are hurt by the daily assault of those who use ideology to promote hatred and violence. Jazz fans and music lovers alike are in for a special treat upon hitting play on their audio devices when “Four Questions” is in the queue. “Four Questions is the sixth production on which Arturo and I collaborated, over almost a decade,” says Kabir Sehgal (Executive Producer, Four Questions). “That this project is grounded in the philosophy of one great American writer, W.E.B. Du Bois, it’s fitting to cite another. The influential African American jazz critic and novelist Albert Murray believed that cultural diversity was a hallmark to America’s strength, and I know that Arturo believes this, too. Moreover, like Murray, Arturo believes that the powers that be should be called out for intolerance and bigotry. It’s been an honor to produce this project with Doug Davis and for Arturo, who I consider a dear mentor and friend. When he embarks upon a project, he bares his heart and soul. The world is a better place for Arturo sharing his profound artistry with all of us.”
Track Listing:
1. Baby Jack (Arturo O’Farrill) 07:22
(Grammy Nominee for Best Instrumental Composition 2021)
2. Jazz Twins (Arturo O’Farrill) 09:31
3. The Four Questions (Arturo O’Farrill / Dr. Cornel West) 16:13
4. Clump, Unclump (Arturo O’Farrill) 07:18
A Still, Small Voice:
5. Elijah-1 Kings 19:13 (Arturo O’Farrill) 08:05
6. Amidst the Fire and Whirlwind (Arturo O’Farrill) 01:14
7. Cacophonus (Arturo O’Farrill) 04:25
8. A Still, Small Voice (Arturo O’Farrill) 8:02
Personnel:
Arturo O’Farrill: piano, conductor
Dr Cornel West: narrator (3)
The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (1-4)
Saxophones: Bobby Porcelli, Ivan Renta (tenor sax solo on 2, 3, 4), Jeremy Powell, Larry Bustamante, David DeJesus (alto sax solo on 1)
Trumpets: Bryan Davis, Seneca Black (solo on 3; trumpet solo and voice on 4), Adam O’Farrill, John Bailey, David Smith (solo on 2)
Trombones and Tuba: Rafi Malkiel, Kajiwara Tokunori, Frank Cohen, Earl McIntyre
Bass: Ricardo Rodriguez
Congas: Tony Rosa
Bongos & percussion: Carly Maldonado
Drums: Vince Cherico (solo on 4)
The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (5-8)
Saxophones: Ivan Renta (soprano sax solo on 7), Peter Brainin (tenor sax solo), Bobby Porcelli, David DeJesus, Jason Marshall (baritone sax solo on 4)
Trumpets: Seneca Black, Jim Seeley, John Bailey (trumpet solo), Jonathan Powell
Trombones: Tokunori Kajiwara, Rafi Malkiel, Frank Cohen, Earl McIntyre
Bass: Gregg August
Drums: Vince Cherico
Congas: Roland Guerrero
Bongos: Joe Gonzalez
Piano: Alison Deane
Guests (5-8):
Singers: Jana Ballard (choral preparation), Aubrey Johnson & Edda Fransdottir (soprano solos)
Sharon Moe: French horn (solo on 5)
DJ Logic: turntables
Recorded 2016 & 2019, at Avatar Studios, New York
Producer: Arturo O’Farrill, Doug Davis
Engineers: Tom Lazarus, Kathryn Miller
Mixing: Peter Karl
Mastering: Alan Silverman
Assistant Producer: Julian Weller
Executive Producer: Kabir Sehgal, Fred Miller, Joachim Becker
Photography: David Garten
Review:
Star turns can be awfully distracting at times. Take, for example, “Four Questions,” the title track of the sixth album Arturo O’Farrill has made with the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. It’s a tour de force both conceptually and compositionally, using the “four questions” from W.E.B. Du Bois’ seminal The Souls of Black Folk to address the breadth and depth of African-American musical culture. Some of that comes through the spoken words of Cornel West, who addresses the listener and the orchestra as if salvation were at hand, but it’s O’Farrill—both as composer and pianist—who does the heaviest lifting. This prismatic music was a revelation when first performed at the Apollo Theater in 2016, and it takes on even greater resonance with the recent revival of the civil rights movement.
But as great as it is, “Four Questions” is only part of the brilliance O’Farrill manifests here. With each successive Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra album, O’Farrill has expanded the definition of Afro-Latin music, and Four Questions is no exception. Gospel music hasn’t traditionally been seen as part of that spectrum, but O’Farrill ties it in brilliantly, both through a section of “Four Questions” based on the spiritual “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord” and on “A Still, Small Voice,” a thrummingly kaleidoscopic four-part work for jazz orchestra and choir. Nor is his use of the choir simply drawn from the church. “A Still, Small Voice” uses its vocals—whether solo soprano or full choir—to add an extra layer of color to the orchestra, while its a cappella third part, “Amidst the Fire and Whirlwind,” underscores O’Farrill’s absolute command of harmony.
Within all that, the expected brilliance of the band, particularly the trombone section, may go under-remarked, but it’s hardly unappreciated. Four Questions is a masterwork, and a timely one at that. It deserves hearing.
J.D. Considine (JazzTimes)
