Grab your valentine and set the floor on fire al fresco on NYUAD’s East Plaza with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra.
NYUAD is already celebrated for both UAE and world debuts of amazing talent, but it’s lesser known for its date nights. Now you can have both when you woo your valentine with a night of mambo with four-time Grammy-award winner Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra this Valentine’s Day dance.
The Grammy-award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), led by pianist, composer, and director Arturo O’Farrill, brings together the drama of big band jazz, the culture of Latin music, and the virtuosity of eighteen of the world’s most accomplished solo musicians is sure to bring audiences to their feet. Don’t know how to Mambo? Don’t let that stop you. Arturo O’Farrill is passionate about the connection between movement and music so mambo lessons will be provided to novices to ensure that no couple sits this big night out.
The New York Times has dubbed Mr. O’Farrill and his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s music “dizzyingly complex music with earthy joy.”
Thursday, 14 February 2019 at 8pm, The East Plaza, The Arts Center, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. To learn more or purchase your tickets, please visit Nyuad-artscenter.org
Futuristic Beats with the Keepers of the Past
The Cuban-Khaleeji Project promises a musical exploration of the Arab, Moorish, and North African roots of Afro Latin and Afro Cuban music, and its links to the seafaring music of the Arabian Gulf.
The Cuban-Khaleeji Project is a world premiere commissioned by The Arts Center and is a not-to-miss performance if you are interested in the intersection of music and culture.
Afro-Latin jazz innovator Arturo O’Farrill leads a musical exploration of the Arab, Moorish, and North African roots of Afro Latin and Afro Cuban music and the seafaring music of the Arabian Gulf, featuring the Grammy-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and a broad range of khaleeji special guests. Inspired by Ned Sublette’s work tracing this connection between the Arabic and the Afro Cuban music as it travels via the Strait of Gibraltar and Andalucia. The usage of microtonal variation in Middle Eastern song and similar practice in the Blues and Afro folkloric chants is created with the invited guests, as they also explore the relationship of khaleeji and Cuban music with seafaring culture.
The Who’s Who of Cuban-Khaleeji Project
The Grammy-award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), led by pianist, composer, and director Arturo O’Farrill, brings together the drama of big band jazz, the culture of Latin music, and the virtuosity of eighteen of the world’s most accomplished solo musicians. The group is dedicated to preserving Afro-Latino musical culture and traditions.
Yazz Ahmed is a British-Bahraini trumpet player and composer. Her music, through which she seeks to blur the lines between jazz, electronic sound design and the music of her mixed heritage, has been described as ‘psychedelic Arabic jazz, intoxicating, and compelling’.
Moroccan singer/composer/producer, Malika Zarra is a multicultural shapeshifter who leaps effortlessly between seemingly unconnected languages and traditions, uniting them while utilizing each to further enrich the others. Her velvety, sinuous mezzo-soprano voice has the rare ability to communicate both powerful and subtle ideas and feelings in Berber, Moroccan Arabic, French and English.
Ghazi Al-Mulaifi, PhD (Boom.Diwan) is an ethnomusicologist, Venice Biennale artist, composer, world-jazz musician, and ensemble leader. His research interests include: Kuwaiti pearl diving music, world-jazz, and heritage production.
Emirati oudist Ali Obaid presents a musical dialogue rich in Emirati heritage and character. Having reached international success, his music showcases an authentic history of his home town Fujairah, UAE.
He was the first to join and graduate from the Arabic Oud House in Abu Dhabi, under the supervision of a group of Oud teachers headed by Mr. Nasir Shamma. After graduating he launched an Emirati band “Takht Al Emarat”—the first identified Emirati band to play local and international festivals.
Wednesday, 20 February at 8pm, The Red Theater, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. To learn more or purchase your tickets, please visit Nyuad-artscenter.org
