ARTIST
Dafnis Prieto
featuring Luciana Souza

TITLE
Cantar

RELEASE DATE
September 16, 2022

LABEL
Dafnison Music


PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SINGLES FROM THE CANTAR SESSIONS!




PRAISE FOR CANTAR

Named one of Felix Contreras of NPR Music's Top 10 Albums of 2022

"[Prieto's music is] a marvel of acrobatic musicianship, with Souza’s voice hopping and gliding across tricky but joyful melodies, a glorious match of percussive angularity and tuneful allure"
The New York Times

"breaking new ground"
NPR All Things Considered

"So ably expressed in the vocals of Luciana Souza, it is Prieto as a composer and lyricist who creates the musical foundation for something transformative.... It is not often that these two worlds [the 'melodic' and the 'poetic'] come together seamlessly. With Cantar, we experience the beauty of 'cheerfulness, intimacy, and imagination.' But at the center is also a subtle experiment with form."
DownBeat

"With its emphasis on composition, supported by the inspiring Souza and a creative cast of characters, Cantar shows Prieto as one of the most multidimensional artists working today"
JazzTimes

"Make no mistake... [Prieto's] music comes with original [lyrics] that meet the highest standards of poetic content in song"
Latin Jazz Network

"Prieto — with Souza’s magical interpretations of his work — has managed to craft an album of immense, songful, and poetic beauty"
Latin Jazz Network

"As a player and writer, [Prieto] is a master of layered and interlocking rhythms that, no matter the complexity, always hew to a groove you can feel in your body. What's more, those grooves deliver melodies that stick in the ear."
Jazziz

"a well-crafted global winner"
Jazzwise (UK) ★★★★ Review

"Prieto... isn’t content to find a comfort zone and stay there throughout his career. He... welcomes variety and Souza helps him achieve it on Cantar."
The New York City Jazz Record

"Prieto seems to know no bounds for his creativity. His lyrics sound highly personal and distinctive, and the addition of a poetic component to his already considerable talents bodes well for his future projects"
SoundStage! Xperience

"a sparkling album.... already in my top 10 of 2022"
Dan Ouellette

"Songs with lyrics are something new for Prieto, but you’d never know it from the songs he (and on several, Souza) wrote in three languages — English, Spanish, and Portuguese — making it a truly global affair.... [Prieto drives] the sound with his patented percussion. Ms. Souza is once again at the top of her game, her voice more than merely a device for the lyrics, but a true instrument in itself."
Jeffrey Siegel, Straight No Chaser

"As charming as it is kinetic"
Mel Minter, Musically Speaking

"[Prieto] plays with an unbelievable joy and spirit"
Café Latino, JAZZ.FM91

"This is Prieto's first incorporation of lyrics... into his regime and hopefully not his last!"
O's Place Jazz Magazine



 
That’s the magic of [Dafnis] Prieto: He has the ability to offer compositions and arrangements that are distinctly him
— DownBeat
[Luciana Souza’s] voice traces a landscape of emotion that knows no boundaries
— Entertainment Weekly
 

TRACK LIST

Music & Lyrics by Dafnis Prieto (Dafnison Music/BMI), except:

Houve Um Tempo:
Music by Dafnis Prieto, Lyrics by Luciana Souza (Answer Music/BMI)
Amanhecer Contigo: Translation to Portuguese by Luciana Souza
The Muse: Music by Dafnis Prieto, Lyrics by Luciana Souza & Dafnis Prieto

1. Guajira en Sol

  • Esa guajira que canta como un sinsonte
    Esa guajira que vive dentro del monte
    Esa guajira que tiene naturaleza
    Esa guajira que lleva tanta belleza

    Guajirita linda, vamos a disfrutar
    Una mañanita, en el cañaveral
    Con un cafecito, que te voy a invitar
    Tú lo puedes bailar, la guajira en sol
    Tú lo puedes bailar, la guajira en sol

    Tú si que eres libre, guajirita con son
    Tu sillon de mimbre, guajirita con son
    Como irrepetible, guajirita por dios
    Tú lo puedes bailar, la guajira en sol

    Guajirita linda, vamos a disfrutar

    Tú eres pura y sincera
    Tú eres árbol, tierra y raíz
    Como la primavera

    Tú eres naturaleza
    Tú eres lluvia, cielo y jazmín
    Tú eres pura belleza

    Esa guajira que canta como un sinsonte
    Esa guajira que vive dentro del monte
    Esa guajira que tiene naturaleza
    Esa guajira que lleva tanta belleza

    Esa guajira que mira, calla y compone
    Esa guajira que alegra los corazones
    Esa guajira que tiene naturaleza
    Esa guajira que lleva tanta belleza

    Esa guajira que canta como un sinsonte
    Esa guajira que vive dentro del monte
    Esa guajira que mira, calla y compone
    Esa guajira que alegra los corazones

    Guajira en Sol

  • That country girl that sings like a mockingbird
    That country girl that lives in the mountain
    That country girl that has nature
    That country girl that has so much beauty

    Beautiful country girl, let’s go and enjoy
    A morning, in the reed bed
    With a little coffee, that I will invite you to
    You can dance it, the country girl in the sun
    You can dance it, the country girl in the sun

    You are truly free, country girl with son
    Your rocker chair of wicker, country girl with son
    Like unrepeatable, country girl for God’s sake
    You can dance it, the country girl in the sun

    Beautiful country girl, let’s go and enjoy

    You are pure and sincere
    You are tree, sand, and root
    Like the spring

    You are nature
    You are rain, sky, and jasmine
    You are pure beauty

    That country girl that sings like a mockingbird
    That country girl that lives in the mountain
    That country girl that has nature
    That country girl that has so much beauty

    That country girl that looks, quiet and composed
    That country girl that brings happiness to the hearts
    That country girl that has nature
    That country girl that has so much beauty

    That country girl that sings like a mockingbird
    That country girl that lives in the mountain
    That country girl that looks, quiet and composed
    That country girl that brings happiness to the hearts

    Country girl in the sun

2. When I Miss You

  • I would miss you forever

    I would miss you forever
    If I could not see you
    You’re my angel of freedom
    All I ever had
    When I think I conceived you
    Nothing can compare
    Now you fly into the unknown

    I will love you forever
    You’re my soul my treasure
    In my dreams I can see you
    Always with a smile
    I can feel your warm presence
    In my every breath
    Now you fly into the unknown

    Light shines through
    Right through your heart
    Life is you
    Is red, is blue

    Light shines through
    Right through your heart
    Life is you
    Is red, is blue

    I will love you forever
    You’re my soul my treasure
    In my dreams I can see you
    Always with a smile
    I can feel your warm presence
    In my every breath
    Now you fly into the unknown

    Light shines through
    Right through your heart
    Life is you
    Is red, is blue

    Light shines through
    Right through your heart
    Life is you
    Is red, is blue

    Light shines through
    Right through your heart
    Life is you
    Is red, is blue

    I would miss you forever

3. Houve Um Tempo

  • Eu quase que me esqueci
    Mas não foi porque tentei
    Foi que o coração pediu
    Pra te amar e eu amei

    Houve um tempo tão bonito
    Onde a gente teve só prazer
    Manhãs de sol e sal
    E de noite a lua lá no céu
    Brilhante
    Estrela

    Eu quase que me esqueci
    Mas foi só você lembrar
    Que a vida foi passando
    E eu te deixei passar

    Houve um tempo tão sagrado
    Onde eu não pensava mais no amor
    Pensava em ser e estar
    Mesmo no silêncio havia um som
    Distante
    Estrela

    Houve um tempo pra nós dois
    Mas o tempo correu e não volta
    Não vou mais olhar para trás
    Mesmo que venha estar na memória

    Houve um tempo pra nós dois
    Mas o tempo correu e não volta
    Não vou mais olhar para trás
    Quando você vier na memória
    Houve um tempo pra nós dois

    Houve um tempo tão bonito
    Onde a gente teve só prazer
    Manhãs de sol e sal
    E de noite a lua lá no céu
    Brilhante
    Estrela

    Houve um tempo pra nós dois
    [Repeat]

  • I almost forgot
    Unintentionally
    Because my heart asked
    To love, and I did

    There was a time of beautiful things
    When we had so much joy
    Mornings of sun and salt
    And at nighttime, the moon up in the sky
    Shining star

    I almost forgot
    But you reminded me
    That life happened
    And I let you go

    There was a time of sacred things
    When we didn’t worry about love
    All we did was to be and to stay
    In silence and in sound
    Distant star

    There was a time for us
    But even time has run ahead
    I am not looking back
    Even if I keep you in my memory

    There was a time for us
    But even time has run ahead
    I am not looking back
    When you come into my memory
    There was a time for us

    There was a time of beautiful things
    When we had so much joy
    Mornings of sun and salt
    And at nighttime, the moon up in the sky
    Shining star

    There was a time for us
    [Repeat]

4. Sueño de Amor

  • Voy a contar una historia de Amor
    Aunque ya no espere escuchar de ti 
    Busco un amor, que me haga soñar
    Alguien que yo pueda acariciar
    Mientras te recuerdo a ti

    Siento y quiero que comprendas
    Que por amor es que te canto
    Canto, desde que me viste acariciando al tiempo
    Y es que el tiempo vino a mi
    Y se fue sin descubrir mi amor por ti

    Ando y es por el camino
    Donde te tengo en mis brazos
    Sueño, y un recuerdo gris de pasión que me despierta
    Y te siento junto a mi
    Abrazados al eden de esta canción

    Llueve, aunque no pretenda
    Buscar el llanto de tus ojos
    Río y un vacío inmenso
    Se apodera de mi
    Y te siento junto a mi
    Abrazados al eden de esta canción

    No quise creer y venías tú, a mí

  • I would like to tell this love story
    Even when I don’t expect anything from you
    I’m looking for a love, that makes me dream
    Someone that I can caress
    Meanwhile I remember you

    I feel, and I want you to understand
    That for love is that I sing to you
    I sing, since you saw me touching time
    And it is that time came to me
    And it left without discovering my love for you

    I walk and it is in the journey
    That I find you in my arms
    I dream, and a gray memory of passion wakes me up
    And I feel you by my side
    Hugging each other at the eden of this song

    It rains, even when I don’t pretend
    To see tears in your eyes
    I laugh and an intense void
    Takes over me
    And I feel you by my side
    Hugging each other at the eden of this song

    I didn’t want to believe, but you came, to me

5. To the Concert

6. Brisa

  • Brisa, llegas tú
    Sin miedo, sin querer
    Caricias, que envuelves con tu ser

    Brisa, dime tú
    Que bailas por doquier
    Que vuelas, que rozas con mi piel

    Dónde vas, sin saber
    Que no te puedo ver
    Si eres tú mi canción
    La que siempre canté
    Mírame, Tócame, Bésame
    Que eres tú, la que me acaricias
    Que soy yo, la que se ilumina

    Brisa, mi
    Brisa, vuela a mí
    Si abrazas con quietud
    Que vengo, sin prisa y casi azul

    Brisa, ven a mi
    Repósate en mi ser
    Te siento, y vuelvo a nacer

    Brisa, vuelve a aquí
    que extraño tu querer
    retoza, diviértete en mi ser

    Dónde vas, sin saber
    Que no te puedo ver
    Si eres tú mi canción
    La que siempre canté
    Mírame, Tócame, Bésame
    Que eres tú, la que me acaricias
    Que soy yo, la que se ilumina

    Brisa, mi
    Brisa, vuela a mí

  • Breeze, you appear
    Fearless, and without wanting
    You caress, wrap in your being

    Breeze, you tell me
    That you dance all around
    That you fly, that you brush my skin

    Where are you going, without knowing
    That I can’t see you
    If you are my song
    The one I always sang
    Look at me, Touch me, Kiss me
    It is you that caresses me
    It is me that gets illuminated

    Breeze, my
    Breeze, fly to me
    If you hug with stillness
    That I come, without rushing, and almost blue

    Breeze, come to me
    Rest in myself
    I feel you, and I am born again

    Breeze, come back here
    that I miss your love
    frolic, and amuse yourself in my being

    Where are you going, without knowing
    That I can’t see you
    If you are my song
    The one I always sang
    Look at me, Touch me, Kiss me
    It is you that caresses me
    It is me that gets illuminated

    Breeze, my
    Breeze, fly to me

7. Amanhecer Contigo

  • Amanhecer
    Amanhecermos juntos sempre foi divino
    Amanhecermos juntos sempre foi perfeito
    E se existe uma razão, te digo
    Poder abrir meus olhos e te ver comigo

    Amanhecer
    Amanhecermos juntos e ver seu sorriso
    Sentir teu corpo, tua presença, teu carinho
    Teu amor é uma forte benção
    Que me adoça as manhãs intensas

    Dentro de mim, você é o sol, a lua, o meu caminho
    Sempre quis amanhecer contigo
    Para beijar os teus olhos dormidos

    Já somos dois
    Dois corações batendo lado a lado
    E agora eu que estou dormindo
    Só pra poder amanhecer contigo

    Dentro de mim, você é o sol, a lua, o meu caminho
    Sempre quis amanhecer contigo
    Para beijar os teus olhos dormidos

    Nós somos dois
    Dois corações batendo lado a lado
    E agora eu que estou dormindo
    Só pra poder amanhecer contigo

  • Waking up
    Waking up next to you has always been divine
    Waking up next to you has always been perfect
    And if there is a reason, I tell you
    It is because I open my eyes and you are there

    Waking up
    Waking up next to you and seeing your smile
    To feel your body, your presence, your affection
    Your love is a blessing
    That sweetens my mornings

    Inside of me, You are the sun, the moon,
    and you are my journey
    I have always wanted to wake up near you
    Just so I could kiss your sleepy eyes

    There are two of us
    Two hearts beating side by side
    And now I am the one sleeping
    So I can wake up next to you

    Inside of me, You are the sun, the moon,
    and you are my journey
    I have always wanted to wake up near you
    Just so I could kiss your sleepy eyes

    We are two
    Two hearts beating side by side
    And now I am the one sleeping
    So I can wake up next to you

8. Unknown Man

9. The Muse

  • When she arrives you set aside your thoughts
    You receive her message
    A revelation that she wants to share
    Just like an open letter

    Unveiling what is possible to be
    A scent before arrival
    When she comes in I draw her close to me
    Just like a breath I need

    You see
    Like earth and wind and water
    Fire, rain, just like the sun
    Like clouds and sky
    She holds a truth
    That no one can deny

    She takes shape without me knowing
    Takes her time and when she blossoms
    She then takes her space inside me
    And I have to trust her
    I want to trust her

    When she begins to tell me what she sees
    I embrace her fully
    Ideas flow through me I want to share
    Just like an open window

    Revealing what is possible to me
    The thoughts before the poem
    When she comes in I draw her close to me
    Just like a breath I need

    You see
    Like earth and wind and water
    Fire, rain, just like the sun
    Like clouds and sky
    She holds a truth
    That no one can deny

    She takes shape without me knowing
    Takes her time and when she blossoms
    She then takes her space inside me
    And I have to trust her

    And when I close my eyes and look inside
    My thoughts come rushing towards
    A memory that tries to take me back
    To a place so distant

    I’m asking what is possible to me
    Surrounding my reflection
    When she comes in I draw her close to me
    Just like a breath I need

    You see
    Like earth and wind and water
    Fire, rain, just like the sun
    Like clouds and sky
    She holds a truth
    That no one can deny

    She takes shape without me knowing
    Takes her time and when she blossoms
    She then takes her space inside me
    And I have to trust her
    I have to trust her

    Your voice arouses
    The muse awakens
    You contemplate your thoughts
    Music is here

10. Guajira en Lu

PERSONNEL

Dafnis Prieto, Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Music Director
Luciana Souza, Vocals, Percussion
Peter Apfelbaum, Woodwinds, Melodica, Percussion, Keys
Martin Bejerano, Piano
Matt Brewer, Acoustic & Electric Bass

Produced by Larry Klein & Eric Oberstein

Executive Producers: Harsha Murthy, Lindsay Evans & Joe Morone, Rebecca Henderson & Jim Morone

Associate Producer: Joe Morra

Recorded by Andy Taub on September 2-4, 2021 at Brooklyn Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY
Assistant Engineer: Samuel Wahl

Mixing Engineer: Mike Marciano, Systems Two Recording Studio, Long Island, NY
Mixing: Mike Marciano, Dafnis Prieto, Larry Klein, Eric Oberstein

Mastering Engineer: Bernie Grundman, Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles, CA

Cover & Package Design: Michael Quanci
Photos: Ebru Yildiz
Video: Makoto Matsuo, Vincent Venturella
Camera Operators: Jonathan Baudoin, Jacques Lang, Paul Lewis Anderson, Makoto Matsuo, Niklas Möller, Vincent Venturella

Publicity: Chris DiGirolamo / Two for the Show Media
Radio: Mark Rini / GROOV Marketing
Digital: Ethan Udell & Nell Jones / RYDER MGMT


 

ABOUT

In this special collaboration poised to be a top release of 2022, GRAMMY-winning Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader, and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto unites with GRAMMY-winning Brazilian-born singer Luciana Souza for Cantar, an album featuring songs with music and lyrics by Prieto.

Since arriving in the U.S. from Cuba in 1999, Prieto has honed his forward-looking musical vision across a range of styles and formats. In the process, he has become equally known for his composing and arranging brilliance and his electrifying drumming, comfortable exploring a wide spectrum of musical vocabular­ies.

This album reveals a new side of Prieto — lyricist. He grew up with a great love of popular songs and melodies, influenced by Cuban boleros, Los Van Van, Elis Regina, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Queen, Stevie Wonder, and more. Prieto felt inspired to create a record that would engage listeners through both music and words. He invited Souza as his collaborator, an admirer of her talents as one of the world’s leading vocalists and interpreters (she ultimately contributed lyrics on several tracks as well). The album features songs in three languages — English, Spanish, and Portuguese — and aims to reach a global audience.

Prieto and Souza are joined by three masterful musicians and improvisers on the album, including Peter Apfelbaum (Woodwinds, Melodica, Percussion, and Keys), Martin Bejerano (Piano), and Matt Brewer (Acoustic and Electric Bass).

Recorded in September 2021, the project is co-produced by legendary GRAMMY-winning producer and Souza’s husband, Larry Klein (Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Madeleine Peyroux, Walter Becker, Melody Gardot), and GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Eric Oberstein (Dafnis Prieto, Arturo O’Farrill), Prieto’s collaborator for the past half decade.

The project also features the work of an all-star team of engineers, including recording engineer Andy Taub (Brooklyn Recording Studio), mixing engineer Mike Marciano (Systems Two Recording Studio), and mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.

Cantar is Prieto’s ninth album as a leader, and his latest release on his Dafnison Music label, which he founded in 2008.


FROM DAFNIS

This is an album of songs carried by a combination of real and abstract memories, nuances and stories, displaying scenarios of cheerfulness, intimacy, and imagination. Cantar reveals the precious entangled connection of words and sounds, like words that come from far away, like melodies that come from the horizon to your ears, from deep within, from my heart to yours!


Cantar is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. 

Luciana Souza appears courtesy of Sunnyside Records.