Dafnis Prieto Masterclass

Cuban-born drummer Dafnis Prieto is a force. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to study with him for two weeks during the winter of 2010 while participating in a workshop at the Banff Centre and work with him on a daily basis. Prieto's intimate understanding of Afro-Cuban rhythms and his application of them to modern musical contexts is unbelievable. And of course his technique and coordination combined with a forward thinking view of music makes him, as far as I'm concerned, one of the great innovators of our time.

Here he is demonstrating some of his techniques from a masterclass:



And here's a more extensive interview with Dafnis where he talks about his art and craft:



I've posted these ones before, but here are a few good examples of Dafnis Prieto in action courtesy of the LP Percussion company:





And this little clave bit is from Prieto's session at PASIC 2008.

This...is...ridiculous!