SPIRITS FROM BOTH SIDES to Make U.S. Debut at Flushing Town Hall

Six-time Grammy Award-winning pianist Arturo O'Farrill and award-winning Taiwanese bassist Vincent Hsu will present their first-ever U.S. performance together on Saturday, August 15, when they bring Spirits from Both Sides: Arturo O'Farrill x Vincent Hsu to Flushing Town Hall for a one-night-only concert co-presented by Belongó.

Following their joint debut at Havana's Plaza Jazz Festival last year, Spirits from Both Sides pairs O'Farrill's Afro-Latin jazz tradition with Hsu's blend of jazz, Afro-Cuban music, and Taiwanese influences to create new Afro-Latin-Taiwanese jazz sounds.

A leading voice in Afro-Latin jazz and the Founder and Artistic Director of Belongó, O'Farrill is a world-renowned pianist, composer, and bandleader. Hsu, who won multiple music awards, is a Taiwanese bassist, composer, and bandleader whose music blends jazz and Afro-Cuban traditions with his Taiwanese heritage.

The ensemble on August 15 will feature acclaimed Afro-Latin jazz musicians, alongside Taiwanese musicians from Hsu's Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band, and local Cuban and Taiwanese guest artists, representing the rich cultural diversity of the World's Borough, joining together musical traditions from across the globe on a single stage.

“We're truly honored to present these two jazz luminaries in this one-of-a-kind concert and want to express our deep appreciation to the artists for selecting Flushing Town Hall for their performance,” said Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Town Hall. ”We have a long history of presenting jazz and Global Mashups, passionate and curious audiences, a beautiful Steinway Grand piano, and a state-of-the art sound system - now, add in these incredible musicians, and it will make for an extraordinary night of music!" 

"Vincent Hsu is my Taiwanese counterpart. We both understand that culture is the language of humanity. We both know that despite the geographical distance, human hearts beat the same rhythms. Life's celebrations, births, birthdays, marriages, graduations, life endings, and all the important markers of our time are celebrated with music,” said Arturo O'Farrill. “The beat of a sacred Cuban batá and the beat of a sacred Taiwanese Dharma come from the same desire to celebrate our shared humanity. This concert is a reflection of what we, and all humanity, share. The desire for world peace and the hope for all humanity to live lives filled with hope."

“To me, it's a dream beyond dreams of sharing the stage with the legendary Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra! 20 years ago, I sat in the audience of Arturo's Orchestra and that night broadened my imagination of embracing cultures and humanity, respecting the past and creating the now—through the language of music. It was also the night when I met the late Latin Jazz innovator, Andy González, who was the bassist in Arturo's Orchestra and started a precious mentorship for me since then,” said Vincent Hsu. “For this unique concert at such a historic venue as Flushing Town Hall, with great honor, I'm hoping to premiere a big band version of “Taiwanese Trilogy Music Suite,” inspired by the Taiwanese nativist literature giant Chao-Cheng Chung, as well as “The Gatekeepers” dedicated to Andy González, who showed me what it meant to be a musician—that is to love music purely and deeply, and share it with all people who have a common mindset. I will keep protecting the legacy and spreading the music we love so much. Thanks to Taipei Cultural Center in New York, Ministry of Culture, R.O.C. Taiwan and Flushing Town Hall for making this journey possible. Thank you, Arturo & Belongó, for giving me the fearlessness to dream!”

The concert also reflects O'Farrill's lifelong commitment to international collaboration. Throughout his career, he has worked with musicians from Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Mexico's Veracruz region, demonstrating jazz's unique ability to connect artists and audiences across cultures.

Following the 8 PM performance, O'Farrill and Hsu will participate in a conversation moderated by Tracy Hyter-Suffern, former Executive Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

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