One of Count Basie's most powerful arrangers was Chico O'Farrill. Born in Havana, O'Farrill's father was from Ireland and his mother was of German descent. Sent to a Georgia military school, O'Farrill learned to play trumpet. Back in Cuba in his late teens, he couldn't get enough of Havana's night life.
O'Farrill moved to New York in 1948 and became one …