DAFNIS PRIETO SÍ O SÍ QUARTET
3 SIDES OF THE COIN
"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.... [T]hroughout this album, Prieto expertly drives the group from behind the drum kit.... 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."
— DownBeat Editors' Pick & ★★★★ Review
"[Dafnis Prieto] is a composer of prodigious talent and scope.... We are all the musical benefactors of the Sí o Sí Quartet and their wonderful music.... Prieto has struck gold with this funky band.... Fantastic band, fantastic record!"
— Modern Drummer
"[A] totally fun and energetic romp with rhythmic leadership throughout by the Cuban leader/drummer Dafnis Prieto.... [A] series of largely uptempo Latin-infused tunes that swirl through sophisticated melodies with abandon"
— Winnipeg Free Press, ★★★★ Review
"As a drummer and composer, rhythms are naturally at the heart of [Prieto's] compositions, and the other instruments seem to party endlessly... Together, the [band] deliver[s] an album that joyfully lands in our 'Essentials' category"
— Paris Move
"Sometimes the dazzle of the Cuban whirlwind’s percussion strategies blinds us to the skills he has crafting a tune. Melodies are just as attractive as hyper interplay on Prieto’s 3 Sides of the Coin"
— Jim Macnie, Lament for a Straight Line
"Prieto’s inventive and dynamic compositions combine various musical influences, from Cuban roots and jazz to funk, South Indian, and European classical music, creating a rich, multifaceted set.... [A] tight, cohesive and expertly executed project"
— Progressive Rock Central
DAFNIS PRIETO FT. LUCIANA SOUZA
CANTAR
Named one of Felix Contreras of NPR Music's Top 10 Albums of 2022
"[Prieto's music is] a marvel of acrobatic musicianship, with Souza’s voice hopping and gliding across tricky but joyful melodies, a glorious match of percussive angularity and tuneful allure"
— The New York Times
"breaking new ground"
— NPR All Things Considered
"So ably expressed in the vocals of Luciana Souza, it is Prieto as a composer and lyricist who creates the musical foundation for something transformative.... It is not often that these two worlds [the 'melodic' and the 'poetic'] come together seamlessly. With Cantar, we experience the beauty of 'cheerfulness, intimacy, and imagination.' But at the center is also a subtle experiment with form."
— DownBeat
"With its emphasis on composition, supported by the inspiring Souza and a creative cast of characters, Cantar shows Prieto as one of the most multidimensional artists working today"
— JazzTimes
"Make no mistake... [Prieto's] music comes with original [lyrics] that meet the highest standards of poetic content in song"
— Latin Jazz Network
"Prieto — with Souza’s magical interpretations of his work — has managed to craft an album of immense, songful, and poetic beauty"
— Latin Jazz Network
"As a player and writer, [Prieto] is a master of layered and interlocking rhythms that, no matter the complexity, always hew to a groove you can feel in your body. What's more, those grooves deliver melodies that stick in the ear."
— Jazziz
"a well-crafted global winner"
— Jazzwise (UK) ★★★★ Review
"Prieto... isn’t content to find a comfort zone and stay there throughout his career. He... welcomes variety and Souza helps him achieve it on Cantar."
— The New York City Jazz Record
"Prieto seems to know no bounds for his creativity. His lyrics sound highly personal and distinctive, and the addition of a poetic component to his already considerable talents bodes well for his future projects"
— SoundStage! Xperience
"a sparkling album.... already in my top 10 of 2022"
— Dan Ouellette
"Songs with lyrics are something new for Prieto, but you’d never know it from the songs he (and on several, Souza) wrote in three languages — English, Spanish, and Portuguese — making it a truly global affair.... [Prieto drives] the sound with his patented percussion. Ms. Souza is once again at the top of her game, her voice more than merely a device for the lyrics, but a true instrument in itself."
— Jeffrey Siegel, Straight No Chaser
"As charming as it is kinetic"
— Mel Minter, Musically Speaking
"[Prieto] plays with an unbelievable joy and spirit"
— Café Latino, JAZZ.FM91
"This is Prieto's first incorporation of lyrics... into his regime and hopefully not his last!"
— O's Place Jazz Magazine
DAFNIS PRIETO SEXTET
TRANSPARENCY
Named one of the best Latin Jazz albums of the year in the 2020 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll!
"The eight originals and one standard... convey emphatic narratives and unrestrained expressiveness, fulfilling Prieto's wish for this project to be 'transparent.' In these confusing times, it's a welcome respite to hear music that's so passionately honest."
— DownBeat ★★★★ Review
"[T]he Dafnis Prieto Sextet triumphs in its transparency"
— JazzTimes
"Dafnis Prieto ... stretches and often shatters the expectations of straight ahead jazz"
— NPR
"[Dafnis Prieto] actively seeks to knock down barriers of thought and expression"
— Modern Drummer
"[W]hat stands out on Transparency is the dazzling ... sophistication of Prieto's compositions"
— All About Jazz
"[T]he nine-track Transparency captivates with a rhythmic vibrancy that surges forward with distinctive arrangements, dynamic harmonies, percussive mystery and playful soul."
— Dan Ouellette
DownBeat, Review by Gary Fukushima (October 2020)
JazzTimes, Review by Dan Bilawsky (October 2, 2020)
Modern Drummer, Feature by Ken Micallef (December 2020)
NPR Alt.Latino, “Defying Cultural Expectations: Dafnis Prieto and Carlos Rafael Rivera,” by Felix Contreras (January 29, 2021)
DanOuellette.net, "Jazz & Beyond Intel Oct. 2020: Dafnis Prieto’s Transparency" by Dan Ouellette (October 2, 2020)
Straight No Chaser: A Jazz Show, Podcast Interview with Jeffrey Siegel (October 2, 2020)
The Drum Shuffle, Podcast Interview with Jamie Eads (November 4, 2020)
WBGO, "Fall Preview 2020" by Lezlie Harrison (September 14, 2020)
DAFNIS PRIETO BIG BAND
BACK TO THE SUNSET
"one of the best recordings of the year"
— DownBeat Editors' Pick
"a 17-piece big band ... alternately playing with heat and heart"
— JazzTimes Editor's Pick
"The group pulls down snugly around [Prieto's] elaborate compositions, creating a fluid momentum in a range of styles"
— The New York Times
"expresses the sheer force and depth of field that only a big band can achieve"
— The Wall Street Journal
"The success of [Prieto's] experiment is clear"
— WBGO
"big band gold"
— The Huffington Post
"masterful"
— All About Jazz
"invigorating, imaginative, and rhythmically exhilarating"
— All About Jazz
"The 17-member ensemble roars, rollicks, rumbas, and purrs its way through nine original pieces.... Back to the Sunset is a treasure"
— Step Tempest
"Prieto’s gifts as a composer, arranger and ensemble-driving drummer are on full display throughout a set of swirling, color-filled compositions"
— Venice Magazine
DownBeat, "Exploding Imagination" by Ted Panken (May 2018)
DownBeat, "Editors' Picks: Dafnis Prieto Big Band 'Back to the Sunset'" by Frank Alkyer (April 2018)
The New York Times, "The Playlist" by Giovanni Russonello (April 6, 2018)
The Wall Street Journal, "‘Back to the Sunset’ Review: A Cuban Drummer Realizes His Grandest Dream" by Larry Blumenfeld (April 2, 2018)
WBGO, "Hear Ecstatic New Music by Dafnis Prieto, Brad Mehldau and Meshell Ndegeocello in Take Five" by Nate Chinen (March 26, 2018)
All About Jazz, "Review: Dafnis Prieto Big Band 'Back to the Sunset'" by Troy Dostert (April 7, 2018)
DAFNIS PRIETO BIG BAND WORLD PREMIERE
Paste, "Jazz Notes from NYC: Everything You Need to Swing. Dafnis Prieto's Big Idea" by Bill Milkowski (September 13, 2017)
WBGO, "Drummer and Composer Dafnis Prieto Extends His Reach with a Big Band Debut" by Nate Chinen (August 24, 2017)
The New York Times, "Pop, Rock and Jazz in NYC This Week: Dafnis Prieto Big Band" by Giovanni Russonello (August 24, 2017)
“DAFNIS PRIETO BIG BAND at Jazz Standard (Aug. 25-27, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.). Mr. Prieto, a buoyant drummer, writes music that lends an illusion of constant expansion to even the smallest ensembles. Whether he’s playing with a trio, a quartet or a slightly bigger band, he’s always assembling and realigning his components, pushing into new directions and adding layers without bogging things down. Until now, he’s never led a big band, but it’s easy to see why the challenge would appeal to him. These shows will be the first for this 17-piece band, which includes the remarkable saxophonists Roman Filiu and Chris Cheek, the pianist Manuel Valera, and the percussionist Roberto Quintero.”
Soundcheck/WNYC, "Gig Alert: Dafnis Prieto Big Band at The Jazz Standard" (August 25, 2017)
WKCR, "Dafnis Prieto & Eric Oberstein Interview with Sharif Abdus-Salaam" (August 24, 2017)
Jazz Speaks/The Jazz Gallery, "Roots and Tributes: Dafnis Prieto Speaks" by Kevin Laskey (May 16, 2017)