Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
New York’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra has received a commission to compose and perform a new piece in honor of United States Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The composition will premiere at New York’s Symphony Space on Nov. 5 with a second performance the following day.
“I am so grateful and excited to receive this commission,” said Arturo O’Farrill, the orchestra’s founder and director. “The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra’s mission is to preserve, perpetuate, and innovate the genre of Afro-Latin Big Band Jazz through performance. What better way to fulfill that mission than to honor the first Latina to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court.”
The commission’s backers include Symphony Space, RD Rice Construction and the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Sotomayor is a native of the borough.
“We have had a long tradition of commissioning new artwork by contemporary artists,” said the Bronx Museum’s executive director Holly Block. “The nomination of Sotomayor is great inspiration for everyone in the Bronx especially for youth and young women. Arturo O’Farrill’s commission represents an important moment in history.”
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Cécile McLorin Salvant busts out Jelly Roll Morton’s “The Murder Ballad” at Big Ears, here with pianist Sullivan Fortner.
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Nik Bärtsch cuts an imposing figure on stage. He’s unmistakable with his soul patch, shaven head and black attire.…
Bollani demonstrates at the piano during a live Blindfold Test in Umbria, Italy, while writer Ashley Kahn, right, and translator Greg Burk look on.
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Raconteur, bon vivant and popular television host Stefano Bollani is also one of Italy’s best-known pianists, a rare…
