Cover of the album being discussed (from its Amazon.com Web page)
While I have been aware of jazz composer Arturo O’Farrill through the recordings of other performers, the most recent being pianist Lara Downes on her This Land album, this weekend provided me with my first opportunity to listen to one of his own albums. Its full title is Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley; and it consists of three multi-movement suites, Mundoagua being the first of them. The titles of the other two suites are Blue Palestine and Día de los Muertos.
Mundoagua was commissioned by The Columbia School of the Arts in 2018 in commemoration of the Year of Water. Unfortunately, the novel coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of the world premiere performance of this three-movement suite. Sadly, the accompanying booklet does not account for when (if ever) the music was first performed in concert; but the recording was made on June 6 and 7 of 2022. “Mundoagua” (world of water) is the title of the suite’s middle movement, preceded by “Glacial” (the source of the water) and followed by the (inevitable?) “The Politics of Water.” It would be unfair to call this “agitprop” music, but that final movement includes an unmistakably cynical reflection on our National Anthem. It goes without saying that those reflections continue through the three movements of Blue Palestine.
Back in the last century, there was a popular quip attributed to a variety of different sources: “If you want to send a message, try Western Union.” Mundoagua is clearly sending a message about taking water for granted. However, O’Farrill is very good about not overplaying his hand, allowing each of his three suites to direct the attentive listener to the music, rather than any political messages. The music certainly deserves that attention, with generous opportunities for solo takes by members of the ensemble.
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