Bobby Previte

Bobby Previte
Previte during a rehearsal in Moscow, 1991, photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Previte during a rehearsal in Moscow, 1991, photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Background information
Born (1951-07-16) July 16, 1951 (age 73)
Niagara Falls, New York, U.S.
GenresJazz, rock, experimental
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
LabelsPalmetto
Websitewww.bobbyprevite.com

Bobby Previte (born July 16, 1951 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began professional relationships with John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, and Elliott Sharp.

Composer

Previte has received critical acclaim for his "exceptional abilities as a composer and orchestrator."[1] A review of his 1988 album Claude's Late Morning reports that "Perhaps most striking is Previte's skill in composing music that fully integrates these disparate instruments — including drums and drum machine, electric guitar and keyboards, trombone, harp, accordion, banjo, pedal steel guitar, tuba, and harmonica — while emphasizing each instrument's unique, individual sound."[2] Another critic notes Previte's "driving and propulsive compositions, featuring both fiery jazz expressionism and layered counterpoint that suggested elements of contemporary minimalism.[3]

In 1991, he wrote the score for "Cirk Valentin" (Moscow Circus on Stage), a stage show consisting of circus acts created by Valentin Gneushev that performed at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway.[citation needed]

Recent large-scale compositional works as of Spring 2007 include:

  • "The Constellations Ensemble," a chamber group touring the multi-media show, The 23 Constellations of Joan Miró.
  • "The Separation", a collaboration with writer/director Andrea Kleine "dealing with the role of religion in society. Based on the 15th-century composer Guilliaume Dufay's Missa Sancti Jacobi and written for early music pioneers the Rose Ensemble with electric band."[4]
Bobby Previte live at Saalfelden 2009

Performer

Previte has received excellent reviews and full articles in major newspapers such as The New York Times,[5] The Washington Post, and The Guardian[6] for playing a wide range of genres and venues[7] and for qualities as diverse as his intellectual aesthetic to his ability "to groove." Recent and current projects as of Spring 2007 include :

Much of Previte's work is also improvisational. One of Previte's own favorite recorded improvisational collaborations was with John Zorn, "Euclid's Nightmare" (Depth of Field 1997).[8]

In the 1990s, he performed with the Seattle-based 100% improvisational musical collective Ponga with Wayne Horvitz, Skerik, and Dave Palmer. Previte has collaborated with Jamie Saft as "Swami Late Plate". Previte appeared in the movie Short Cuts, directed by Robert Altman.[9]

In 1997, he founded the record company and label Depth of Field.[citation needed]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

DVD

As sideman

With Terry Adams

  • Terrible (New World, 1995)

With Ray Anderson

  • Where Home Is (Enja, 1999)
  • Sweet Chicago Suite (Intuition, 2012)

With The Bang

  • Omonimo (Nuevo, 1991)

With Bob Belden

  • Black Dahlia (Blue Note, 2001)

With Marco Benevento

With Tim Berne

With Jane Ira Bloom

With William S. Burroughs

With Corporate Art

  • Corporate Art (JMT, 1991)

With Paul Dresher and Ned Rothenberg

  • Opposites Attract (New World/CounterCurrents, 1991)

With Marty Ehrlich

  • Pliant Plaint (Enja, 1988)
  • The Traveller's Tale (Enja, 1990)
  • Can You Hear a Motion? (Enja, 1994)
  • Malinke's Dance (OmniTone, 1999)
  • The Long View (Enja, 2002)

With Carol Emanuel

  • Tops of Trees (Evva, 1995)

With David Fulton

  • Marcos & Harry (Dossier, 1988)

With David Garland

  • Togetherness: Control Songs, Vol. 2 (Ergodic, 1999)

With Jerome Harris

  • Hidden in Plain View (New World)

With Robin Holcomb

With Lindsey Horner

  • Don't Count On Glory (Cadence Jazz, 2005)

With Bill Horvitz

  • Solo Electric Guitar Compositions for an 11-Solo Guitar & Ensemble Piece Ensemble (Ear-Rational, 1991)

With Wayne Horvitz

With Charlie Hunter

With Yoko Kanno

With Guy Klucevsek

  • Flying Vegetables of the Apocalypse (Experimental Intermedia Foundation, 1991)
  • Polka Dots & Laser Beams (Eva, 1991)
  • ?Who Stole the Polka? (Eva, 1991)

With Makigami Koichi

  • Koroshi No Blues (Toshiba EMI, 1992)

With The New York Composers Orchestra

  • The New York Composers Orchestra (New World, 1990)
  • First Program in Standard Time (New World/CounterCurrents, 1992)

With Kirk Nurock

  • Remembering Tree Friends (Koch, 1998)

With Seigen Ono

  • NekonoTopia NekonoMania (Saidera, 1990)
  • Bar Del Mattatoio (Saidera, 1994)
  • Montreux 93/94 (Saidera, 1990)

With the Peggy Stern/Thomas Chapin Quintet

  • The Fuchsia (Koch, 1997)

With Ponga

  • Ponga (Loosegroove, 1999)
  • The Ponga Remixes (Loosegroove, 1999)
  • Psychological (P-Vine, 2000)

With Mike Pride

  • Drummer's Corpse (AUM Fidelity, 2013)

With Bobby Radcliff

  • Early in the Morning (A-Okay, 1985)

With Jamie Saft

With Jeffrey Schanzer

  • Vistas (Music Vistas, 1987)

With Elliott Sharp

  • Virtual Stance (Dossier, 1985)
  • Fractal (Dossier, 1986)
  • Larynx (SST, 1987)
  • Sili/Contemp/Tation (Ear-Rational, 1990)
  • Arc 1: I/S/M 1980-1983 (Atavistic, 1996)
  • Arc 2: The Seventies 1972-79 (Atavistic, 1997)

With The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet

With Various Artists

With Tom Varner

  • Covert Action (New Note, 1989)

With Tom Waits

With Victoria Williams

  • Happy Come Home (Geffen, 1987)

With Andreas Willers

  • Cityscapes (Sound Aspects, 1993)

With John Zorn

References

  1. ^ "Bobby Previte, Brandishing Pen And Drumsticks", The Washington Post, March 24, 2002. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
  2. ^ Claude's Late Morning Review Dave Lynch, AllMusic.com Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  3. ^ Empty Suits Review AllMusic.com. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  4. ^ Biography Archived March 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, bobbyprevite.com. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  5. ^ "A Drummer, Different And Yet In the Groove", The New York Times, October 1, 1998. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
  6. ^ Bobby Previte, The Guardian, February 5, 2004. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  7. ^ Biography Archived November 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine AllAboutJazz.com Retrieved October 24, 2007
  8. ^ Note by artist Archived 2007-08-21 at the Wayback Machine bobbyprevite.com, Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  9. ^ Short Cuts (1993), imdb.com, Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  10. ^ Roussel, P. Discography of Bobby Previte. Accessed August 12, 2016.
  11. ^ Bobby Previte discography Archived 2016-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed August 12, 2016.