the Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Dafnis Prieto's si o si Quartet at

Dafnis Prieto is a Cuban drum set virtuoso who can play over a tumbao with the best of them (as he did for many years with Eddie Palmieri), but his destiny is much broader than that. The Library of Congress states that Prieto is “unquestionably one of the important leaders of the New Latin Jazz movement.” He himself states: “I am definitely Latin, I play Latin tunes. Inside my playing there is a rhythmic Latin culture, rich in syncopation…[but], it’s not the same Latin jazz you have been hearing.” Perhaps the reason he earned a MacArthur “Genius” grant (an award given to artists who “show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work”) was because he’s so curious, adventurous and willing to deviate from expected conventions. Prieto is “attracted to anything new. I don’t want to stay in the music that I came from, and so I like to play with people who know the music I come from, but also know something else.” He will appear at the VJC with his longtime collaborators in Peter Afelbaum (saxophones), Manuel Valera (piano), Johannes Weidenmueller (bass). ...

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Dafnis Prieto is a Cuban drum set virtuoso who can play over a tumbao with the best of them (as he did for many years with Eddie Palmieri), but his destiny is much broader than that. The Library of Congress states that Prieto is “unquestionably one of the important leaders of the New Latin Jazz movement.” He himself states: “I am definitely Latin, I play Latin tunes. Inside my playing there is a rhythmic Latin culture, rich in syncopation…[but], it’s not the same Latin jazz you have been hearing.” Perhaps the reason he earned a MacArthur “Genius” grant (an award given to artists who “show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work”) was because he’s so curious, adventurous and willing to deviate from expected conventions. Prieto is “attracted to anything new. I don’t want to stay in the music that I came from, and so I like to play with people who know the music I come from, but also know something else.” He will appear at the VJC with his longtime collaborators in Peter Afelbaum (saxophones), Manuel Valera (piano), Johannes Weidenmueller (bass).

At the start of this evening’s concert, the VJC will receive a Chamber Music America Acclaim Award from the CMA’s Director, Margaret Lioi. Dafnis Prieto has also been recognized by CMA: In 2005, Dafnis received a Commissioning Grant from the CMA’s New Jazz Works Program, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

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