Drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto is best known for his flexible small group recordings, so this big band album is quite a pleasant surprise. The 16 member team creates exotic sounds with a rich pulse on “The Sooner the Better” and gets tribal with stampeding brass on “Danzonish Potpourri.” The brass punches like a middleweight for “Two For One” and the sections gallop with the rhythm team on “The Triumphant Journey.”
A handful of guests make for delightful cameos as well. Henry Threadgill is fluffy on the elegiac “Back to the Sunset,” Steve Coleman glides through the peppy “Song for Chico” and trumpeter Brian Lynch pops through the Latin cruiser “Una Vez Mas.” Creative and satisfying. Are they gonna tour around?