“Fandango at the Wall in New York” won a 2023 Grammy for “Best Latin Jazz Album”. This photo of me with members of the Conga Patria Collective was taken at the Grammys moments after the award was announced. “Fandango at the Wall in New York” features the collaborative performance between maestro Arturo O’Farrill and his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and the Conga Patria Collective. This is the very same performance we filmed at Symphony Space for Fandango at the Wall and featured in the film. The album was produced by the multi-Grammy-winning Kabir Sehgal who also produced the Fandango at the Wall. I had been advocating for the making of this album since we completed the film and finally, the time was right. I enjoyed working with artist Alec Dempster (who created the Fandango at the Wall poster) to create the cover art. It was a thrill to witness the explosion of joy on the faces of Arturo O’Farrill and the members of the Conga Patria Collective when the announcement was made that they had won. This is the first time son jarocho musicians have won a Grammy so this win made history. I am forever grateful to Producer Kabir Sehgal who brought me on board to direct Fandango at the Wall and did his very best to include me in the ongoing creative journey that evolved following the completion of the film. And I’m happy to share that following a two-year run on HBO Latino/HBO MAX, Fandango at the Wall continues to stream on MAX.
