Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dafnis Prieto Sextet: Transparency
Dafnis Prieto Sextet: Transparency
By
Dafnis Prieto
drumsb.1974
Yet for all the astonishing things he does behind the kit, what stands out on Transparency is the dazzling formal sophistication of Prieto's compositions. Eight of the nine composer credits are his and the outlier, an arrangement of

Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993
Prieto builds on a foundation of strong, often cinematic melodies and sturdy rhythms, but the devil is in the unexpected and delightful details. The short, shuffle-rhythm tag he adds to the solos section of "Uncerntradition" is like a head nod to the Jazz Messengers editions with the same trumpet, alto and tenor saxophone front line featured here.
"Cry With Me" begins with a vaulting, tumbling drum solo over which the horns introduce a unison chorale figure that returns after

Peter Apfelbaum
saxophoneb.1960

Alex Norris
trumpet
Alex Brown
pianob.1987
Roman Filiu
saxophone, alto
Horace Silver
piano1928 - 2014
There are compositional wrinkles like this in every cut, and they're easy to miss as you're swept along by the rhythmic whirlwind set up by Prieto, bassist

Johannes Weidenmueller
bass, acousticb.1966

Steve Coleman
saxophone, altob.1956
Dafnis Prieto has long been able to turn his drum kit into a one-man Cuban percussion section of cowbell, congas and timbales, holding four different rhythms together at once. On Transparency, he does the same thing with melody, harmony and form, and he makes it sound easy. ">
Track Listing
Amanecer Contigo; No Es Fácil; Uncerntradition; Con Alma; Cry With Me; On the Way; Feed the Lions; Nothing or Everything; Lazy Blues.
Personnel
Dafnis Prieto
drumsJohannes Weidenmueller
bass, acousticRoman Filiu
saxophone, altoPeter Apfelbaum
saxophoneAlex Norris
trumpetAlex Brown
pianoAdditional Instrumentation
Peter Apfelbaum: melodica, percussion; Roman Filiu: soprano saxophone; Johannes Weidenmueller: electric bass.
Album information
Title: Transparency | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Dafnison Music
Tags
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
