Adam O'Farrill (trumpet/electronics), Yvonne Rogers (piano/synthesizer), Walter Stinson (bass), Russell Holzman (drums)

ELEPHANT is a quartet led by the Brooklyn-born-and-bred composer Adam O’Farrill, featuring Yvonne Rogers on piano, prepared piano, and synthesizer, Walter Stinson on double bass, Russell Holzman on drums, and O’Farrill on trumpet and electronics. Drawing influence from 20th century classical music and minimalism, as well as the beat music of the subsequent drum machine era, ELEPHANT strikes an impressive balance between the freedom and small-group intimacy of the jazz quartet tradition, the patience and emotional scale of Reich, Sakamoto, and Britten, and the urgency and excitement of contemporary dance music.

Adam O’Farrill has been heralded as “among the the leading trumpeters in jazz- and perhaps the music’s next major improviser.” (The New York Times). Born into a musical legacy that includes composer Chico O’Farrill and pianist Arturo O’Farrill, Adam has since collaborated with artists such as Mary Halvorson, Hiromi, Vijay Iyer, Anna Webber, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Tyshawn Sorey, Mulatu Astatke, Samora Pinderhughes, Son Lux, Photay, Kevin Sun, Mali Obomsawin, and Stimmerman.

In 2021, Adam released his third album, Visions of Your Other (Biophilia Records), with his quartet, Stranger Days. The album was listed as one of the best albums of 2021 by The New York Times, won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, and The Wall Street Journal wrote of the album, “Mr. O’Farrill’s music is refined and discreet; it integrates aspects of art rock and contemporary classical music and boasts a cinematic influence.”

For his work as a composer and bandleader, Adam has received awards, commissions, and grants from the ASCAP Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The Jazz Gallery, Roulette, The Shifting Foundation, and South Arts. In 2024, Adam released his fourth album, HUESO (Food Records), again featuring Stranger Days, which was recorded following a residency at Morning Glory Farm, exploring the integration of farming work into the creative process. Adam’s next album, For These Streets, featuring an octet comprising Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Kevin Sun, and more, will be released in March 2025.

Photo by Alice Plati