Legacies: CD

Arturo O’Farrill returns to his first love—the piano—on his new Blue Note album Legacies. Renowned as a composer, arranger, and bandleader, here the 8-time GRAMMY- winner puts the emphasis back on his striking pianistic abilities with a 9-song set that juxtaposes stunning solo piano flights and dynamic trio performances with O’Farrill accompanied by his son, drummer Zack O’Farrill, and bassist Liany Mateo. The trio’s rollicking rendition of Bud Powell’s “Un Poco Loco” is available to stream or download now.

The repertoire on Legacies includes pieces by Thelonious Monk (“Well, You Needn’t”), Herbie Hancock (“Dolphin Dance”), Carla Bley (“Utviklingssang”), his father Chico O’Farrill (“Pure Emotion”), and Puerto Rican composer Pedro Flores (“Obsession”). The album follows O’Farrill’s 2021 Blue Note debut …dreaming in lions…, an album that presented two multi-movement suites composed by O’Farrill and performed by the 10-piece assemblage The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble.