Drummer Dafnis Prieto takes a step back from his last big band session to put together a top notch post bop sextet of Roman Filiu/as-ss, Alex Norris/tp, Peter Apfelbaum/ts-perc, Alex Brown/p and Johannes Weidenmueller/b for mix of modern tones with Latin harmonics and undercurrents.
The horns lead through a repetitive line with Apfelbaum out in front over the leader’s snappy drums on an almost Latinized version of Miles Davis’ “Nefertiti” on “Cry With Me” while the front line feels like a horse race with the lead changing up until the finish line on the propulsive “Amancer Contigo”. A talking drum into leads into an agonizingly slow lilt for Brown’s piano on a flowing read of “Con Alma” and the tom toms lead to a peppy horn punches on “Uncerntraditoin”. Weidenmueller’s electric bass locks in with Prieto’s high hat as the horns ride up and down the cascading cliffs on “Nothing Or Everything” and the team closes out with a driving saunter on “Lazy Blues”. Spark plugs are firing on this one.