Spring has sprung, the flowers are blooming, and the petunias are trumpeting in imitation of the renowned trumpet sensation Adam O’Farrill. Accompanied by his band, Stranger Days, O’Farrill will grace the South Street Jazz stage for the season’s final performance on May 19, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Prepare to be blown away. The New York Times describes O’Farrill as “among the leading trumpeters in jazz – and perhaps the music’s next major improviser.” PopMatters hails him as a “rising star as a player and composer,” and The New York Times also praises him as “a blazing young trumpet talent.”
Coming from a rich musical lineage, O’Farrill’s grandfather was the boundary-pushing Cuban composer and arranger Chico O’Farrill; his father is composer, pianist, and activist Arturo O’Farrill; his mother, Alison Deane, is a classical pianist and educator; and his brother, Zack O’Farrill, is a drummer and composer who also performs in Adam’s band, Stranger Days.
O’Farrill’s music is both abstract and personal, with compositions reflecting subjects such as being mixed race, growing up in New York City, family history, and spirituality. At age 29, with an extensive discography, O’Farrill is cementing himself as one of the most in-demand trumpet players in the city and internationally. He has collaborated and performed with artists such as Mary Halvorson, Hiromi, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Anna Webber, Samora Pinderhughes, Mulatu Astatke, Stimmerman, Vijay Iyer, and Son Lux.
Adam O’Farrill’s Stranger Days quartet features Xavier Del Castillo on tenor sax, Walter Stinson on bass, and Zack O’Farrill on drums. The group’s latest album, Visions of Your Other, was released on Biophilia Records in November 2021 and was named one of the best jazz albums of 2021 by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Popmatters. The New York Times called it “O’Farrill’s most melodically engaging effort yet.”
Grab tickets to see Adam O’Farrill before he becomes even more renowned, and you regret missing this opportunity. After Peekskill, O’Farrill will head to Seoul, Korea, on May 31st, and then embark on an international tour including stops in Montreal, Quebec; Spain; the United Kingdom; France; Italy; and Japan.
