“Drummer Dafnis Prieto’s third release as a leader shows him to be a composer of considerable depth. ‘Taking the Soul for a Walk’ offers 12 pieces of precise, propulsive polyrhythm and intricate parts. There’s plenty of solo playing, but the power of this music is in the ensemble’s confident communication. The performances have a sense of community, and despite the structural, harmonic and rhythmic complexity, the music packs an emotional punch... This is a splendid album that stands up to many listenings.”

“Never has the line between traditional Latin-jazz and 21st-century postbop been so wonderfully blurred as on ‘Taking the Soul for a Walk’. Drummer-composer Dafnis Prieto outlines the dance rhythms of his native Cuba, but his sextet adds complexity that evokes John Lewis’ quote about Duke Ellington: ‘His music was too exciting to dance to’. …. Subversive genre-bending or not, ‘Taking the Soul for a Walk’ is solidly in the pocket – and it’s glorious.”

“(Prieto) has transformed Afro-Cuban rhythms to the trap set with a light touch and a gracefully deceptive manner of speeding up and slowing down tempos. These pieces are emotionally charged and stylistically diverse, carried along not just by rhythm but also through lovely harmonized passages, horn fanfares, and powerfully conjured moods.”