"My dad said once that awards are for boys," O'Farrill said during his performance with the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble for its "Coast Goes Latin!" show in Spaulding Auditorium on Saturday.
The show marked O'Farrill's third residency and performance with the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble. O'Farrill conducted the Coast and performed alongside the group for some of the selections. Percussionist Joe Gonzalez, trumpeter Jim Seeley and saxophonist Ivan Renta, all members of the Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra who have long records of musical experience, joined O'Farrill as guest musicians.
O'Farrill grew up closely connected to the music business as the son of Chico O'Farrill, the legendary Afro-Cuban jazz composer and artist. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn College Conservatory and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College before going on to direct Chico O'Farrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, found and direct Jazz at Lincoln Center's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and, most recently, receive a Grammy for his latest release, "Song for Chico."
The conducting style O'Farrill employed Saturday differed from that of classical conductors. Rather than standing behind his music and methodically measuring out the time, O'Farrill moved back and forth across the stage and performed on small percussion instruments, even while conducting.
Barbary Coast director Don Glasgo, along with Renta and Seeley, used similar approaches when they conducted, allowing featured musicians to take a front seat.
Occasionaly, however, the train of musicians making their way to the front of the stage created some awkward moments, as musicians had to wait for another solo to end before they got their chance at the microphone.
The vibrancy and energy that O'Farrill and his guests brought to the stage was matched by that of the Barbary Coast members. Renta and Raj Mujumder '11 held a stagefront conversation on tenor saxophone without missing a note, despite the fast tempo of the piece.
Another collaboration among Steve Weber '09 on alto saxophone, Tomo Berry '12 on trumpet and Chris Martin '10 on trombone layered the instruments in a manner so exact that it had to have been rehearsed, but the pieces managed to still sound spontaneous and improvised.
Vocalist Kaitlyn Sheehan '09 joined the ensemble for two pieces, "Mi Amor Fugaz" and "Somos Novios."
The sultry quality of her voice complimented the rhythms of both works in a way that highlighted the group's ability to adapt to stylistic changes.
One memorable piece, "40 Acres and a Burro," showcased a diversity of elements. Before the song, O'Farrill addressed the provocative nature of the work's title, which references the 40 acres and a mule promised to slaves after the Civil War.
"I hope you're not offended enough to get 'offended' offended, just enough to make you think," he said during the concert.
The musicians used vocals in addition to their instruments, murmuring to create a rumbling sound in the background. The murmuring did not interfere with the music, but generated a sense of unease that pervaded the auditorium.
Throughout the night, the coordination between the professional musicians and the Barbary Coast players never faltered.
Perhaps the most notable evidence of this flawless collaboration came after intermission: O'Farrill started on piano and was joined by Gonzalez on the bongos, then Renta's saxophone prowess, the graceful trumpet of Jim Seeley and finally Barbary Coast's own Andrew Lohse '12 on bass and Andrew Lebovich '09 on percussion.
The week the Barbary Coast Ensemble spent rehearsing with O'Farrill and the other special guests prior to the concert clearly paid off.
The Coast musicians and their distinguished guest performers come from very different backgrounds, but the unity between the two groups was aligned with O'Farrill's own message.
"Music ... does not discriminate culturally or socio-economically," O'Farrill said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "I want to see the continuity between our cultures."
That connection made for a cohesive musical experience that prompted audience members to dance in the aisles and had musicians clearly fighting the urge to do the same.