 DAFNIS PRIETO The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has named Dafnis Prieto, a drummer and composer with gripping rhythmic command and an original vision of Latin jazz, as one of 22 new MacArthur Fellows for 2011. In a phone call he received upon returning from a European tour, Prieto learned he had received the award worth $500,000, distributed quarterly over five years. The MacArthur Fellowship, often unofficially called the "genius grant," comes with no restrictions on spending, as it is designed to encourage future creativity. - npr.org Congratulations Dafnis!His arrival in the U.S. has been compared to that of an asteroid hitting New York. Indeed, within a short period of time Dafnis Prieto's revolutionary drumming techniques have had a powerful impact on both the Latin and jazz music scene, locally and internationally. A student of the school of Fine Arts in Santa Clara, Cuba as a youngster and later at the National School of Music in Havana, Prieto obtained a thorough classical education while broadening his knowledge of Afro-Cuban music, jazz and world music outside of the academy. He first toured Europe with pianists Carlos Maza and Ramon Valle and the groundbreaking group “Columna B.” A resident of New York since only 1999, he has already played in bands led by Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico and Arturo O'Farrill, Dave Samuels & The Caribbean Jazz Project, Jane Bunnett, Peter Apfelbaum, D.D. Jackson, Edward Simon, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdez, Claudia Acuna, Roy Hargrove, Don Byron, Andrew Hill, among others. He has performed at many national and international music festivals as a sideman and as bandleader. As a composer, he has created music for dance, film, chamber ensembles, and most notably for his own bands, ranging from duets to his “Small Big Band” and including the distinctively different groups featured on his two acclaimed recordings as a leader, “About The Monks,” and “Absolute Quintet.” He has received new works commissions, grants, and fellowships from Chamber Music America, Jazz at Lincoln Center, East Carolina University, Meet the Composer and was recognized as the Up & Coming Musician of the Year by the JJA in 2006. Also a gifted educator, Prieto has conducted numerous master classes, clinics, and workshops. Since 2005, he has been a member of the NYU Music Faculty. |
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PASIC CLINIC 2008
Modern Drummer
Festival 2008
Live at Jazz Standard, NYC - 2007 Named "Best Jazz Club" by New York Magazine, Jazz Standard presents an extraordinary lineup of world-class artists nightly! Don't miss our exclusive video interview with Dafnis, featuring performance clips from the Jazz Standard!
Montreal Drumfest - 2005
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