Cuban-born Dafnis Prieto’s revolutionary drumming techniques and compositions have had a powerful impact on the Latin and Jazz music scene, nationally and internationally. Various awards include a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship Award; a GRAMMY Award and a Latin GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album for Dafnis Prieto Big Band Back to the Sunset in 2018; a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album for Dafnis Prieto Sextet Transparency in 2021; a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album for Absolute Quintet, and a Latin GRAMMY nomination for “Best New Artist,” in 2007. With enormous pleasure, we had the opportunity to speak to him about his latest project titled ‘Cantar’.
Dafnis, Thank you for agreeing to catch up with Occhi Magazine. Congratulations on your career to date. For readers unfamiliar with your background, how did you get into music?
Thank you for the invitation. I was born in Santa Clara, Cuba. The neighborhood in which I grew up had a lot of music around; people were rehearsing in their houses, there was music on the streets, etc… Those were my first encounters with live music, besides listening to music on the radio or the tv. Then at 7 years old, I started playing guitar and singing some songs, a couple of years later, I started playing bongos and that was my initiation to percussion. At 10 years old I started formal training for classical music in my hometown of Santa Clara, and from then I continued my studies at the national school of music in the capital (Havana). Of course, they’re a lot of things in between those periods, for example in terms of my development not only as a classical musician at the school, but my curiosity for other kinds of music, like Jazz, Indian, Brazilian, African music, and others. That helped me to understand that music is one.
Over the years, you’ve worked with many greats. This list, which seems endless, includes Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdés, Bebo Valdés, Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico, and Arturo O’Farrill, Dave Samuels & The Caribbean Jazz Project, and Jane Bunnett, to name a few. With such experience, is there a particular methodology you now apply as bandleader, composer, and teacher, especially when working with new artists?
I’ve learned from all the musicians you’ve mentioned, they have all influenced me one way or another. The list of musicians is not only long but wide in terms of approaches to music, composition, and ways to approach their leadership. My personal approach to all of the above varies, depending on so many factors. But, as a leader my only methodology is to treat the musicians as you’ll like to be treated. Having the experience of playing as a side man has helped me to understand the dynamic in a band from different perspectives. I’m very specific at times when it comes to the content of the music and the interpretation of it… But, at the same time, I’m always open to hearing feedback and suggestions from my colleagues. I really enjoy the interaction with the musicians in the working process and being able to get inputs and ideas that will enhance the music. Is all for the music.
You’re the winner of several awards, including a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship Award; a GRAMMY Award, and a Latin GRAMMY Award nominee. Of your many accolades, is there one you’re most proud of?
That’s a hard question to answer, but I would say that getting the MacArthur Fellowship Award was one of those moments. One of the beautiful things about this fellowship is that you don’t have to apply for it, which is a great distinction from many others where everyone is fighting to get an award. In this case, I felt accompanied, heard, and supported in a way that made me feel proud not only for what the award represents, which is huge, but also for knowing that they were listening to my work. That was very gratifying.
Following ‘Houve Um Tempo’, your collaboration with Luciana Souza, we’re looking forward to the official release of your latest project ‘Cantar’. The project was originally recorded in September 2021 and co-produced by Luciana Souza’s husband, the legendary Larry Klein, and your long-time collaborator Eric Oberstein. Please tell us more about the origins of the project and the production schedule.
We started preparing for this album a couple of years ago, I would say in 2020. I wanted to do an album of songs since I had already a few songs that I’ve been writing through the years. Luciana was the perfect fit for this album, I really enjoyed her voice and artistry, she can also sing in different languages as in this album where she sings in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. I contacted Luciana and then I presented the songs to her, and we start working on them as a collaboration. Most of the songs are lyrics of mine, but Luciana wrote the lyrics for a few of them and in other instances, we developed ideas together. So that way it because a beautiful and productive collaboration. I’ve been working with my producer and good friend Eric Oberstein for about 6 years already, and we have created great chemistry working together at different levels, we talked and agreed to use another producer that had also been through the experience of working with singers, and someone that could bring something to the table in a creative way as well, so Larry was the perfect fit. Being the producer that he is, and having such a relationship already with Luciana it just worked perfectly. Going back to the process, Luciana and I started meeting on Zoom for a year before the recording, maybe once or twice a month so that we kept developing ideas, changing keys for some songs, revising the lyrics, etc… We did the recording while covid was active, so we all had to be wearing masks during the rehearsals, the recording session and following the protocols in order to make it a successful session, and we did it. It was wonderful to see that we were all willing to make it happen regardless of the covid challenges.
You’re joined by world-class musicians, Peter Apfelbaum (Woodwinds, Melodica, Percussion, and Keys), Martin Bejerano (Piano), and Matt Brewer (Acoustic and Electric Bass). Please share your experience working with them on this project.
Every new project is a great opportunity to try something different, even though I have musicians in my bands that have been playing with me for over 15 years already. Peter Apfelbaum is one of the musicians that had played the longest in my bands, so Peter and I have an old and beautiful relationship as a musician but also as a friend, I think he has recorded in at least 6 or 7 of my albums. He is such a great musician and multi-instrumentalist, and in this specific album I had him play so many things, he plays all kinds of percussion instruments, also keyboards, saxophones, flutes, and melodica. I like his musical voice within my music because he has his own unique sound and ways of doing things that work magically. Martin Bejerano is an amazing musician and piano player, and he had a great deal of experience working with vocalists, so it was also the perfect fit because he already started doing some performances with my Si o Si Quartet, and I really enjoyed his playing, plus we also developed a relationship because we both teach at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and we got to connect that way too. Matt Brewer is a fantastic musician and bass player, we actually played for the first time together about 5 years ago in Stanford Jazz Workshops, and after that I said to myself, I need to invite him to one of my projects. So when this album started cooking I immediately thought of him. As I mentioned before, these are very fine musicians that I love and admire, and that makes the music go to that next level.
The album is released through your independent music label Dafnison Music. Please tell us a little more about the label and some of the projects we can look forward to.
Dafnison Music is a label that I started in 2008 and I have released all of my albums in it since then, but at this moment is more than a label, it is where I publish everything I create. Not only my albums, but my books, and through the website of the same name people can find and watch masterclasses, and listen to some of my current and previous projects, albums, videos, etc. I created Dafnison Music because I started realizing that the record industry was shrinking even more every year, and I didn’t have the patience to be chasing record companies every time I wanted to release my music. It is much more work to keep all of these things up, but we also have great autonomy in the ‘decision making’ on so many levels.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
The best place to get information and find more about me and what I’m doing is on my website www.dafnisonmusic.com and that’s the place where people can also purchase my books and most of my music. I’m also active on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dafnisprieto/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dafnisprieto where I post videos, pics, etc !! I hope to see many of you around! And thanks again for the opportunity.
Photography by Ebru Yildiz.
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