Since his arrival in New York City at the tail-end of '90s, Cuban immigrant
Dafnis Prieto has enjoyed a reputation for being a flexible and broad-minded drummer, percussionist, composer, and arranger who can handle post-bop and Latin jazz as well as the occasional avant-garde gig.
Prieto brings a long list of influences to his playing, and they range from
Art Blakey and
Elvin Jones to Latin greats such as
Ray Barretto,
Mongo Santamaria and
Tito Puente.
Blakey, it should be noted, has not only influenced
Prieto's playing but also, his bandleading/arranging outlook. Some of
Prieto's arrangements show a definite awareness of
Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and
Prieto has also been influenced by the bandleading and arranging of pianist
Eddie Palmieri (who is a huge name in both salsa/Afro-Cuban music and Latin jazz).Born in 1974,
Prieto grew up in Santa Clara, Cuba -- a small town about 150 miles from Havana.
Prieto studied both guitar and percussion as a pre-teen, and after leaving Santa Clara, he moved to Havana to attend the National School of Music (where he concentrated on Afro-Cuban and classical music but became increasingly interested in jazz). One of the musicians
Prieto played with when he was still living in Cuba was Canadian saxophonist
Jane Bunnett, who invited him to perform in North America as part of her group.
Prieto was 25 when, in 1999, he decided to make New York City his permanent home. The early 2000s found
Prieto being employed as a sideman by several well-known musicians, including
Eddie Palmieri, pianist
Michel Camilo, guitarist
Carlos Barbosa-Lima, vibist
Dave Samuels (of
Spyro Gyra fame) and pianist
Arturo O'Farrill (son of
Chico O'Farrill). Many of the musicians he played with after settling in the Big Apple favored very straight-ahead jazz, although
Prieto also appeared in some avant-garde settings with saxophone explorer
Henry Threadgill. It was also during the early 2000s that
Prieto formed his own quintet, whose members included trumpeter
Brian Lynch (one of the many people who passed through
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers), saxophonist
Peter Apfelbaum, acoustic bassist
Hans Glawischnig and Venezuelan pianist
Luis Perdomo. About the Monks,
Prieto's first album a leader, was given a February 2005 release date by the independent Zoho Music; in addition to producing and arranging the album,
Prieto wrote all of the material. ~ Alex Henderson