Jazz Standard: New Dimensions in Latin Jazz with Emilio Valdés

New Dimensions in Latin Jazz: “A Cuban Drum Series” with Emilio Valdés and special guest Mark Whitfield

WHEN: TUE 10/8 at 7:30PM + 9:30PM

TICKETS: $20. To purchase, call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visit www.jazzstandard.com

LINE-UP: Axel Laugart – piano, Byron Moore – bass, Emilio Valdés – drums, With Special Guest: Mark Whitfield – guitar

What do you do if you’re a talented musician and also the son and grandson of legendary pianists? If you have a spark of ingenuity and independence – and a lot of spunk – you become a drummer. Then, after mastering the drums, you leave your homeland and go to Europe where you work with everyone from the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra to Spanish pop stars, jazz trumpeter Jerry Gonzales, saxophonist Craig Handy, organist Lonnie Smith – and then you go to Spain to meet your legendary grandfather for the first time and become his drummer — until you get itchy to come to NY, where you start playing with the Arturo O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Big Band…and then wander over to the Village Underground and hook up with Mark Whitfield’s band. Eventually, all these experiences are going to coalesce into some very intense music, and that music will get recorded…and now it’s been released as “The Sweet Taste of Freedom” on the Sixteen Eyes label.

Dafnis Prieto Si o Si Quartet

WHEN: THU 10/24 at 7:30PM + 9:30PM; FRI 10/25 at 7:30PM, 9:30PM + 11:30PM

TICKETS: $25 Thursday/$30 Friday. To purchase, call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visit www.jazzstandard.com

LINE-UP: Peter Apfelbaum – tenor and soprano saxophones, melodica, percussion, Manuel Valera – piano, Johannes Weidenmueller – bass, Dafnis Prieto – drums

Recently named a MacArthur Fellow, and perhaps the most impressive drummer to enter the jazz scene in the past decade, Cuban–born Dafnis Prieto’s world rhythms exhibit a forceful yet flexible sense of groove derived from traditions of Afro–Caribbean hand percussion and polyrhythmic post-bop. The music is truly unique, blending sounds from diverse cultures into music that is both euphoric and intelligent. His Si o Si (Yes or Yes) Quartet features longtime Prieto collaborators Manuel Valera, Johannes Weidenmuller, and Peter Apfelbaum, who are also core members of Prieto’s popular sextet. This multifaceted quartet delivers an orchestral richness to match its rhythmic complexity and breathtaking energy. “[Prieto] has transformed Afro-Cuban rhythms…These pieces are emotionally charged and stylistically diverse, carried along not just by rhythm but also through lovely harmonized passages, horn fanfares, and powerfully conjured moods.” – The Wall Street Journal

Dafnis Prieto Sextet

WHEN: SAT 10/26 at 7:30PM, 9:30PM + 11:30PM; SUN10/27 at 7:30PM, 9:30PM

TICKETS: $30 Saturday/$25 Sunday. To purchase, call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visit www.jazzstandard.com

LINE-UP: Mike Rodriguez – trumpet, Felipe Lamoglia – alto & soprano saxophones, Peter Apfelbaum – tenor & soprano saxophones, melodica, percussion, Manuel Valera – piano, Johannes Weidenmueller – bass, Dafnis Prieto – drums

“Drummer Dafnis Prieto came over from Cuba around the turn of the century promptly placing every rhythm section in New York City on notice. His next level understanding of the clave, combined with his seeming willingness to try anything that grooves, led to his nomination as a MacArthur Fellow last year. That cast of mind, powering a sextet with horns, will prove volatile, as it did on his 2008 album Taking The Soul For A Walk. On stage, it’s liable to cause bug–eyed amazement if onlookers aren’t careful.” – Patrick Jarenwattananon, National Public Radio.