Grammy Nominated Reed Player Jay Rodriguez-Sierra has been a part of the NYC sonic tapestry from the age of 15 since he began performing professionally .
His music is a place where all is possible where the voices of Africa and all indigenous people of the earth meet Ravel , Stravinsky and the yet to be known composers.
He is a gifted reed player on all saxophones, flute , bass clarinet ,Bb clarinet and various world reed instruments like the Colombian Giata or the Arabic Ney to name a few.
From co founding the Groove Collective to his solo saxophone works and performances to his current work with artist like Craig Harris ,Marc Ribot and Jason Miles, He maintains a deep commitment to the soul.
His intricate writing styles, ideas and concepts meld into deep imaginative improvisations .As a sideman he has worked with diverse artists such as Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz , Prince, Miley Cyrus, The Wu Tang Clan, Chucho Valdez, The Mingus Big Band, Fred Wesley , Roy Nathanson, Elvis Costello,
He is an artist for all seasons and times.
Mr Rodriguez plays with an unreserved flexibly on the tenor, alto and soprano saxophones; flute; and bass clarinet. Originally from Colombia, he has worked with artists ranging from Celia Cruz to Prince to Elvis Costello to Marc Ribot.
On his own solo works ” Mr. Rodriguez moves between idioms and energies as easily as he switches instruments… – Giovanni Russonello, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Jay Rodriguez is a Grammy Nominated Saxophonist, Flautist, Clarinetist, Film Composer, Producer and Arranger
Whatever compelled Rodriguez to avoid putting his name out front for all these years, he stands proud today and forever.” – Nate Chinen
He recently recorded on the new Warner Bros Film Judas and the Black Messiah due to be release 2021
www.jayrodriguez.com
Supporting Musicians: Arturo O Farrill
ARTURO O’FARRILL, pianist, composer, and educator, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. He received his formal musical education at the Manhattan School of Music and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Arturo’s professional career began with the Carla Bley Band and continued as a solo performer with a wide spectrum of artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. Arturo is a member of the faculties of both the Manhattan School of Music and the School of Jazz at the New School.
In 2007, he founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the performance, education, and preservation of Afro Latin music. Learn more about ALJA here: http://www.afrolatinjazz.org.
In December 2010 Arturo traveled with the original Chico O’Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra to Cuba, returning his father’s musicians to his homeland. He continues to travel to Cuba regularly as an informal Cultural Ambassador, working with Cuban musicians, dancers, and students, bringing local musicians from Cuba to the US and American musicians to Cuba.
During 2016-2018, Arturo has performed with orchestras and bands including his own Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and Boss Level Sextet, as well as other Orchestras and smaller ensembles in the US, Europe, Russia, Australia, and South America.
An avid supporter of all the Arts, Arturo has performed with Ballet Hispanico and the Malpaso Dance Company, for whom he has written three ballets. In addition, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company is touring a ballet entitled “Open Door,” choreographed by Ron Brown to several of Arturo’s compositions and recordings. Ron Brown’s own Evidence Dance Company has commissioned Arturo to compose New Conversations, which premieres Summer of 2018 at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, MA.
Arturo has received commissions from Meet the Composer, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Philadelphia Music Project, The Apollo Theater, Symphony Space, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Young Peoples Chorus of New York, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Arturo’s well-reviewed and highly praised “Afro-Latin Jazz Suite” from the album CUBA: The Conversation Continues (Motéma) took the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition and the 2016 Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. His powerful “Three Revolutions” from the album Familia-Tribute to Chico and Bebo was the 2018 Grammy Award (his sixth) winner for Best Instrumental Composition.