Live At Jazz Standard Nyc

DAFNIS PRIETO SI O SI QUARTET: Live at Jazz Standard NYC
Dafnison, 2009

MODERN JAZZ – Drummer/composer Prieto, who really needs to be considered among the top creative forces in mainstream jazz right now, has an excellent band here, featuring Peter Apfelbaum on saxes and Manuel Valera on piano. Touches of fusion, dollops of modern Latin rhythm, and a general spirit of inventive camaraderie mark the sound.

Peter Apfelbaum - tenor & soprano sax, bass melodica
Manuel Valera - piano, keyboard, melodica
Charles Flores - acoustic & electric bass
Dafnis Prieto - drums, vocal, clave

* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10

1. 8:34 – upbeat, spinning theme: sax pokes gently, piano & drums twirl
2. 5:10 – speedy, tense and spiraling; firms up under sax, piano winds it tight
3. 7:47 – low and mysterious with melodica; bass & drum solos
4. 8:22 – upbeat, darting; straight jazz sound, but tricky rhythm; fluid solos
5. 9:56 – ballad piano intro; then slow wailing sax: a deep, serious sound
6. 9:10 – uptempo, muscular tune, flashy piano / perky swoop into sax honking
7. 9:02 – elec bass intro, hopscotch theme; keyboard give & take; warm solos
8. 7:05 – lumpy ballad: quiet drums, moody horns, languid piano; drifts softly
9. 1:54 – vocal percussion + clave interlude: kind of cool on its own…
10. 7:24 – percussion intro kicks off a happy trio jam: no horns, but lotsa drums

[ Fo ] 12/13/09