Arturo O’Farrill signed with Blue Note Records for his latest album, an opportunity he calls “a lifelong dream.”

The pianist, composer, bandleader and educator’s new record …dreaming in lions… follows his compilation of virtual concert performances Virtual Birdland, released earlier this year, and his social-justice effort Four Questions in 2020.

“Blue Note is the home of the greatest music that I have grown up with,” O’Farrill says. “You can’t place a moment like this. It’s incredible, and it represents more than music to me. It represents an opportunity to engage Blue Note’s audience with the many different ways that I express my convictions through my art. I know that Blue Note has stood for that, and will continue to engage with socially conscious art. It’s what I’ve been doing for my entire career.”