Dizzy, Chano and Chico — The Original Influencers — 75 Years Later at Town Hall celebrates the monumental moments when jazz met the rhythms of Cuba and changed the face of modern music forever. In 1947, legends Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo composed “Manteca” — one of the earliest foundational compositions of Afro-Cuban jazz and among Gillespie’s most famous recordings. In December ’47, Dizzy and Chano performed it live at the famed Town Hall in New York City. Consecutively, composer Chico O’Farrill’s masterpiece “Afro Cuban Jazz Suite” brought together bandleader Machito with O’Farrill and Charlie Parker, among others. O’Farrill's work to meld modern jazz with Cuban big band continued with his collaboration with Dizzy on “The Manteca Suite.” The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance and Town Hall commemorate Dizzy, Chano and Chico for their groundbreaking blend of Latin music influences and jazz. 

On January 14 at Town Hall, the continuum pushes forward 75 years later with the next generation of performers keeping Afro Cuban/Afro Latin jazz alive and well. Multi-GRAMMY Award-winning Arturo O’Farrill and his 18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra revisit the acclaimed compositions “Manteca,” “The Manteca Suite,” and  “Afro Cuban Jazz Suite” as well as new compositions and arrangements by an array of today’s most distinguished Latin jazz artists. Featured guests include Superstar of Afro Cuban Percussion Pedrito Martinez, NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Big Chief Donald Harrison, Cuban vocalist Daymé Arocena, trumpeter Jon Faddis, and emerging talents trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, percussionist Jacquelene Acevedo, and singer/composer Melvis Santa.