Review: Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer & Dafnis Prieto’s ‘Fifteen’

August 21, 2026 is a big day for Henry Threadgill as he releases two albums. One, Cut You Where You Was (Pi, 2026), finds the NEA Jazz Master with his longstanding quintet, Zooid and will be covered on this site in the near future. The other offering, Fifteen (Nonesuch, 2026) captures a group with pianist Vijay Iyer and creative Cuban percussionist Dafnis Prieto. The album’s title references the number of years since the collective originally convened for a fundraiser for New York’s Jazz Gallery. And despite having performed together several times since then, Fifteen marks their first recorded release as a trio.

At Big Ears in 2024, Threadgill performed multiple shows as its Artist-in-Residence. The best of those was the trio with Iyer and Prieto, as it found the elder statesman’s energy raised to a whole new level. Fifteen well captures that same riveting interplay from a studio date.The three instruments give the album plenty of space and a lean quality. The saxophonist, as he did live, gets animated and bluesy at times, recalling another master of the same instrument, Ornette Coleman. He switches with ease from his alto saxophone to flute or alto flute, depending on the melody. Yet. this is truly a democratic outing with each of the three voices making their own distinctive contributions. Threadgill composed three pieces, Iyer three and Prieto two. As Threadgill says, “We’ve got three composers here. Every time the music changes, it holds up a different world, because it’s coming from a different place [it reflects] each one of us, and our different approaches to composition.” 

Surely, the music is “free” but nevertheless more accessible than much avant-garde fare, and seemingly far less complex than Threadgill’s Zooid offering. Turning to the first few Threadgill compositions, “Trio Piece,” Prieto’s cymbal sweeps and Iyer’s glistening chords set the stage for Threadgill to ease in with his slippery flute. Iyer continues to play staccato intervals, hopping from one to the other, while Prieto hits his snaps in unexpected places.  “Last Night” is obtuse and far brisker, moving to an off-kilter swing behind Threadgill’s alto. Subtle shadows of a smoky club filled with soul-jazz appear as Iyer is in high percussive mode on keys, and Prieto attacks the backbeat vigorously. In his second solo, Threadgill enters with a much harder edge, in contrast to his first appearance. The rumbling “Where Coconuts Fall” is a ruminative piano piece, imbued with Prieto’s crafty cymbal work, and alternating jabs and sustained tones from Threadgill’s alto. 

Iyer’s “I Wanted a Map” is briskly relentless. Threadgill’s alto begins in airy fashion before taking a harder, beast-like edge in his second attack. The pianist’s “Fire City” begins jaggedly with Iyer leaping through a rather bizarre chord structure over which Threadgill darts and dashes. All while Prieto is at full throttle, fueling the conflagration. Iyer’s “Perfect Victims” begins in rather stately fashion, behind Prieto’s snare rolls and a well-articulated solo from Threadgill’s alto, embracing all registers. Tension builds as tones grow more sustained.

Prieto’s  “Gently Trapped” thrives on beautiful chords from Iyer, who at times sounds as if he is playing two pianos. Threadgill plays the flute as if he’s trying to gain ignition, while Prieto’s brushes pushes the energy higher. He raises the tension of the piece while retaining its inner beauty. Inevitably, a more Latin groove seeps through Prieto’s closer, “On the Way,” with syncopation punctuated emphatically by Iyer’s potent keys and Threadgill’s alto. Even as the trio goes full tilt, gleefully, the solo by Prieto, the trio’s unsung star, is especially off the hook. 

Fifteen is an energetic and emotional work. At times the outing may seem a little unhinged. Things seem a little wild and out of control. But the three masters’ delightful interplay forms a strong cohesion, a flexible but study bond that allows for the ensemble to fluidly morph and flow in as many directions their imaginations – wide as they may be – leads them.

‘Fifteen’ is out now on Nonesuch Records. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.