By Frank Alkyer | Published September 2024
It’s hard to believe that drummer/composer Dafnis Prieto is celebrating 25 years of being in the United States. In his early days, he was a hot-shot gun for hire bringing his propulsive beats to the work of Michel Camilo, Chucho and Bebo Valdés, Henry Threadgil, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri and many others. But over the years, he has also become a gifted composer and bandleader. With all that promise and a work ethic to match, he received the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, an award that gave him the freedom to pursue his grand ambitions, including starting his own Dafnison Music label — where he has released eight stellar projects including his big band recording Back To The Sunset, for which he earned a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2019. But Prieto thinks about music in many settings. With his latest, 3 Sides Of The Coin, the Cuban-born drummer brings back his Sí o Sí Quartet (meaning Yes or Yes) for a sizzling set of complex compositions that will get you thinking as well as up and dancing. Everything on this recording sounds easy until you stop to focus on what each member of this terrific band is playing. Along with Prieto on drums, Peter Apfelbaum plays saxophones, Martin Bejerano is on piano and Ricky Rodriguez lights up the electric bass. All are top-flight musicians and artists with the necessary skills and chemistry to navigate the tricky rhythms and layers cooked up by Prieto. Let’s start with “Conga Ingenua,” translated as Naive Conga. It’s a tip of the hat to the music Prieto grew up with, but with many wonderful twists and turns. Prieto establishes the groove with a march that takes on slightly ominous tones as the melody kicks in with Bejerano’s piano. But then the piece lights up, with this tight-knit ensemble delivering a truly inspiring chase through an 8-minute, 24-second adventure of dramatic changes in tempo, dynamics and feel. Apfelbaum’s work on soprano here is divine; Bejerano is so tasteful, so fluid; and Rodriguez locks in and fills with grace, power and creativity. All the while, here and throughout this album, Prieto expertly drives the group from behind the drum kit. The tune “Two Sides Of The Coin” splits between two themes (but going back to the title, the third side of this coin is perception) and slides in as a driving wall of sound. “Naive,” with its lovely bass solo intro, brings a little quiet majesty to the proceedings. “Humanoid” and “Funky Humanoid” muck around with robotic, and thoroughly grooving, themes. But the title of the album’s final tune might be its most autobiographic. That tune, “The Happiest Boy In Town,” serves as an homage to a photo of Charlie Parker smiling. That smile shines throughout this tune and the entire program. Prieto and company bring the joy, just as Dafnis has brought smiles to audiences in this country and around the world since he arrived in the States 25 years ago. Check out the November 2024 issue of DownBeat for more about Dafnis Prieto and his music. DB
