Adam O'Farrill

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician_edit.php?id=52128#generalAdam O'Farrill was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Born to a deep musical legacy- his grandfather, the legendary Afro-Cuban composer/arranger, Chico O'Farrill, his father, the GRAMMY award-winning pianist/composer/activist Arturo O'Farrill, and his mother, pianist and educator Alison Deane- O'Farrill has been surrounded by music since he was very young. He began studying piano at age 6, and trumpet at age 8, while starting to compose around the same time. Since then, O'Farrill has made numerous artistic accomplishments.

With his brother, Zack, a drummer/composer, they released two well-received albums under the O'Farrill Brothers Band: Giant Peach (2011) and Sensing Flight (2013), both on ZOHO Music. They primarily featured Adam's original compositions. In 2016, he released his first album under his own name, called Stranger Days (Sunnyside Records), which features Zack on drums, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown on tenor sax, and Walter Stinson on bass. The album has been critically acclaimed with Nate Chinen of the NY Times writing “Marshaling a sharp band of his peers — Chad Lefkowitz-Brown on tenor saxophone; Walter Stinson on bass; and Zack O’Farrill, his older brother, on drums — Mr. O’Farrill establishes both a firm identity and a willful urge to stretch and adapt.” In early 2018, Adam will be releasing his second album with Stranger Days, tapping into an eclectic range of influences, including traditional Mexican music, and covers of Gabriel Garzon-Montano and Irving Berlin.

​In 2015, O'Farrill was featured on two of the year's most acclaimed albums. He was featured on Rudresh Mahthappa's Bird Calls, which won the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best Jazz Album, and was named one of the Best Jazz Albums of 2015 by NPR, New York Times, Observer Chicago Tribune, and more. Later that year, O'Farrill was featured (along with Mahanthappa, and Zack O'Farrill) on Arturo O'Farrill's Cuba: The Conversation Continues, was was nominated for the GRAMMY Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, and won the Latin GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. In 2016, Adam was featured on several new releases. He was featured on Stephan Crump's Rhombal, along with Ellery Eskelin and Tyshawn Sorey, which also released to critical acclaim. O'Farrill was also featured on Evergreen (Canceled World), from rising composer-pianist Gabriel Zucker and his large ensemble, The Delegation, as well as Kadawa, the debut album from the Israel-born experimental trio of the same name, and New Helsinki, the debut album from Finnish guitarist Olli Hirvonen. In addition to these, Adam has also performed with established artists such as Vijay Iyer, Mulatu Astatke, Steve Lehman, Christian McBride, Jason Lindner, in addition to rising artists such as Samora Pinderhughes, Onyx Collective, Maria Grand, JIL, and more.

O'Farrill has also been developing his voice as a composer, since a young age. He recently received the 2016-2017 The Jazz Gallery Residency Commission, for which he will premiere a new work, I'd Like My Life Back, for voice and septet, in April 2017. He was commissioned by YoungArts to collaborate with actress Devyn Tyler, and filmmakers Dan Frantz and Andy Koeger on a short film called Gold, which Adam scored. The Baltimore-based chamber duo, The Witches, commissioned O'Farrill to write a piece for their project, Behind the Curtain, celebrating feminity and female leaders of the world today. He wrote a piece called Overcoming, dedicated to Lizzie Velasquez, the motivational speaker who was born with a disease that prevents her from accumulating body fat.

Recently, O'Farrill completed his Bachelor's Degree at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Laurie Frink, Cecil Bridgewater, Reiko Fueting, Thomas Smith, Greg Gisbert, and Tony Kadleck. Show less