Dafnis Prieto featuring Luciana Souza: Cantar

“[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

Drummer Dafnis Prieto made an indelible impression at the Festival in the mid-1990s on his first trip from Cuba for a residency at the Workshop. By the time he moved to New York City in 1999 the connections he’d forged here and on following trips with the band Columna B catapulted him into prominence as he suddenly emerged in the midst of the jazz’s most exciting ensembles, working with Henry Threadgill, Eddie Palmieri, Steve Coleman, and Brian Lynch. Far more than an era-defining drummer, Prieto is an arranger, composer, bandleader, and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow who returns to the Festival with a whole new set of music that reveals his melody-besotted side. Working with Grammy Award-winning Brazilian-born singer Luciana Souza, Prieto released the 2022 album Cantar, a project featuring songs with his original music and lyrics. It turns out that he grew up with a great love of popular songs and melodies, absorbing the sounds of Cuban boleros and the Brazilian songbook (via Elis Regina, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and Caetano Veloso), as well as Queen, Stevie Wonder, and others. Inspired to create a record that would engage listeners through both music and words, he reached out to Souza, who he’s long admired as one of the world’s leading vocalists and interpreters. She ended up contributing lyrics on several tracks as well. Featuring songs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, the project draws on the talents of an all-star cast, including Peter Apfelbaum on woodwinds, melodica, percussion, and keyboard, Martin Bejerano on piano and vocals, and Matt Brewer on acoustic and electric bass. They’ll all be on hand for the West Coast debut of Cantar.