Dafnis Prieto(39), who was born in Cuba but now lives in New York, is considered to be the best young jazz drummer of this moment. The acclaimed drummer has played with greats like Roy Hargrove, Chucho Valdez and Eddie Palmieri since he moved to the States in 1999, and was even awarded a Latin Grammy in the category Best New Artist in 2007. Prieto clearly shows his Cuban background in a musical sense, yet at the same time he is praised for his boundless outlook on the art form. For that reason Prieto's percussive qualities are called both astonishing and groundbreaking. With his own Proverb Trio, to be seen for the first time at North Sea Jazz, Prieto is not taking the easy road. The group combines jazz, poetry and improvisation, while rapper Kokayi takes care of the fire with his singing and rapping of all vocals and Jason Lindner of the transparent and sensitive keyboard work.
