Dafnis Prieto

His arrival in the U.S. has been compared by the New York Times to that of an asteroid hitting New York. Indeed, within a short period of time, Cuban-born Dafnis Prieto's revolutionary drumming techniques had a powerful impact on both the Latin and jazz music scene, locally and internationally. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Santa Clara as a youngster and later at the National School of Music in Havana. He first toured Europe with pianists Carlos Maza and Ramon Valle and the groundbreaking group “Columna B.” A resident of New York since 1999, he has played in bands led by Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico and Arturo O'Farrill, Dave Samuels & The Caribbean Jazz Project, Jane Bunnett, D.D. Jackson, Edward Simon, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdez, Claudia Acuña, Roy Hargrove, and others. He has composed music for dance, film, chamber ensembles, and for his own bands, which are featured on four albums to date: “About The Monks,” “Absolute Quintet” (Zoho Music), and “Taking The Soul for a Walk” and “Si o Si Quartet Live at Jazz Standard” (both on his own label, Dafnison Music). Prieto also composed the title track of the 2008 Grammy awarded album "Song for Chico" by Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. He has received numerous new works commissions, grants, fellowships, and awards, including a Grammy Nomination for ”Absolute Quintet” as Best Latin Jazz Album, and a Latin Grammy Nomination for “Best New Artist” in 2007. Also a gifted educator, Prieto conducts master classes, clinics, and workshops and is on the music faculty at NYU.

Kokayi

Kokayi (Carl Walker) is a Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, emcee, producer and educator. Pronounced “Ko-Kah-Yee” (or KOKE for short), this Washington D.C. native takes his name from the Swahili word meaning “to summon the people”. Musically self-sufficient and versatile in ways that are reserved for upper-echelon talents, he produces his own music, writes his own rhymes, sings from the gut, and is self-taught on several instruments. Kokayi keeps busy on multiple fronts with several side-projects – as one third of the Proverb Trio with fellow Grammy nominee and world reknowned drummer/composer Dafnis Prieto and keyboardist Jason lindner, one half of the electro-hop duo, Dastardly (with DJ/Producer Sharkey), and his long-time Afropunk outfit, TheCaesarz – each of which has self-released albums to much critical acclaim. He’s produced the MTV Jams staple, “Jet Setter” for fellow D.C. artist Tabi Bonney and created the theme to BET’s “How I’m Living”, as well as music for various commercials on MTV/Nickelodeon. His forthcoming album, Robots & Dinosaurs is set for release in 2010. “Believe It”, a song featured on the album, was already licensed for the short film, A l’arraché directed by Paul Manate, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and broadcast throughout France on Canal+.

Jason Lindner

Hailed as a “musical universe” by Chick Corea, pianist Jason Lindner is a unique and vital force on the progressive global music scene today. He leads 3 distinct bands -the explosive electro¬groove trio Now Vs. Now, an 11-piece strings and winds ensemble, Breeding Ground, and the Jason Lindner Big Band, debuting on Corea’s Stretch label. Lindner has served as musical director for Lauryn Hill and Claudia Acuña, and collaborated with Meshell Ndegeocello, who produced his recent release Jason Lindner Gives You Now Vs Now. He has also performed with international musical heroes Oliver Dragojavic and Husnu Senlendirici. "Lindner ranks among the finest all-around pianist-composers of his generation," (Time Out New York). The Brooklyn-native attended LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Mannes College of Music, but attributes his musical development to apprenticeships with Barry Harris and Chris Anderson. He is largely self-taught insofar as developing his own musical voice, maintaining strong beliefs in contributing to current global musical expression and not getting stuck in eras or being limited by borders or to genres. The New York Times wrote, “Rhythm provides more than a heartbeat for the pianist Jason Lindner. It also seems to fuel his respiratory functions and digestive activity, and maybe his neurons. What matters to him is groove, however it comes.”