Chico O'Farrill 2001 Deaths

Chico O'Farrill

Grammy-nominated composer and arranger who was a pioneer in Afro-Cuban jazz. Most of his career was spent in obscurity, writing and arranging music for Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Stan Getz, and others. He wrote “The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite,” first performed in 1950 by Machito, Charlie Parker, Flip Phillips, and Buddy Rich.