Dafnis Prieto’s “A World of Rhythmic Possibilities”

Dafnis Prieto

The Cuban-born drummer-composer Dafnis Prieto recently released a book (and audio/video) project with the apt title A World of Rhythmic Possibilities-apt because the 275-page resource covers a wide swath of jazz and Afro-Cuban traditions, and features both brass-tacks transcriptions and musical-philosophical ponderings. This excerpt, an instructive meditation culled from Prieto’s lifetime of listening and playing, tilts toward the latter.

I would like to focus attention on the “illusive” (illusory or illusionary) quality of rhythms and patterns. As with an optical illusion, rhythmic illusion is a fascinating subject to discuss and analyze.