023 Dafnis Prieto From Cuba to Drummer Genius #UpgradeMe with Dana Leong

What does it take to go from sneaking into rumba rehearsals as a kid in Santa Clara, Cuba, to becoming arguably the greatest living drummer on earth?Dafnis Prieto is a Grammy Award winner, MacArthur "Genius" Fellow and one of the most gifted drummers alive. On faculty at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, he has three self-published books studied worldwide. Host Dana Leong has known him personally since Dana was 15 and Dafnis was 21. This is the conversation we've been waiting 30 years to have.Follow Dafnis: https://www.dafnisonmusic.com | https://linktr.ee/DafnisPrietoListen and watch everywhere:YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@UpgradeMePodSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7JPSb9vRaEqHt39hWXBVOYApple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upgrademe-with-dana-leong/id1751136432Patreon http://www.patreon.com/UpgradeMePodChapters:0:00 Cold open - "I'm going to become the healthiest person that ever died"2:15 Meet Dafnis Prieto - Grammy winner, MacArthur Genius, arguably the greatest drummer alive5:00 Why he always reminds himself of the reason he chose this life10:20 Inner world vs outer world - separating frustration from purpose14:45 What every world-class performer actually has in common17:00 Born in Santa Clara - only child, divorced parents, a mom who said yes22:30 From guitar to bongos - the House of Culture and a Cuban band26:00 Eight years of classical training - Santa Clara to Havana's National School30:15 The Big Bang - Carlos Masa, Hermeto Pascoal, and Ravi Shankar at 1435:40 First tour at 18 - special school permit, Cuba straight to Paris40:10 Getting paid in Cuba vs Paris - "a big whale and a sardine"44:30 The assembly line story - trains, 30 seconds, and Cuban teamwork51:20 The Village Voice era - how European bookers discovered New York artists55:00 "If Jesus Christ was in Times Square nobody cares" - social media and the fake artist problem1:00:10 Marketing vs selling your soul - the tension every serious artist lives with1:05:30 Why live music still matters - Dana's mom at 80, Taiwan's National Concert Hall1:10:00 Integrity as a total way of being1:15:20 The hidden instruments - classical guitar, flamenco, marimba1:19:45 Why Cuba produces champions - "you do twice the work"1:23:30 The 24/7 conservatory - living inside the National School of Music1:28:00 Getting out of Cuba - exit permits, bureaucracy, and the Stanford invitation1:34:20 Cuba sent one guy - and they sent the right one1:39:10 Cuban culture as the deep root1:43:00 The global political climate and what it means for artists1:47:00 "There is value in the objective but there is potential in the subjective"1:51:00 Pancho Quinto - tradition as a point of departure1:57:00 Learning English in New York - a notebook and self-teaching2:01:00 Mentorship at Frost School - Marcelo Perez, Bob Moses, the drum quartet2:07:00 Why Dafnis doesn't sign up for teaching - but gives it everything2:12:00 The frying pan on the drum kit - carnival, sneaking out, Chinatown2:18:00 Long-term musical relationships - what makes a real band2:23:00 The social media dilemma - practice vs posting2:29:00 Building character before the digital age - Coltrane, Chaplin2:34:00 "Don't wait for anyone to make yourself poor"2:38:00 Final words - if you have a dream, go for itUpgradeMe is hosted by Dana Leong, a 2x Grammy Winning Musician, US Music Ambassador and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Sponsored by https://www.TEKTONIKmusic.org (Harmony Heals).