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Bobby Previte




  Img Evstafiev-bobby previtejpg
  Img Capt Bobby Previte during a rehearsal in Moscow in 1991 Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
  Background non_vocal_instrumentalist
  Birth Name Robert Previte
  Born July 16 , 1959
  Origin New York, New York
  Instrument Drums, Percussion
  Genre Jazz, Experimental, Rock
  URL http://wwwbobbyprevitecom/


Robert "Bobby" Previte (born July 16 , 1959 , Niagara Falls, New York ) is a Drummer , Composer and Bandleader . Previte earned a B.A. in music at the University At Buffalo , where he also studied Percussion . He moved to New York City in 1979, and became active in the city's thriving Jazz and Experimental Music scenes. He began professional relationships with John Zorn , Wayne Horvitz , Elliott Sharp and others that have continued, intermittently, to the present.

COMPOSER

While Previte is a talented drummer he has also received critical acclaim for his "exceptional abilities as a composer and orchestrator."''Bobby Previte, Brandishing Pen And Drumsticks'', Steve Futterman, The Washington Post, Mar 24, 2002. 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 that suggested elements of contemporary Minimalism .http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4tfqoarayijz~T1 ''Empty Suits'', Review, David Lynch, AllMusic.com

Like fellow New Yorker Henry Threadgill , Previte's compositions are often tightly arranged, with little or no improvisation. Also like Threadgill, Previte often uses unusual instrumentation and also draws on many non-jazz musics for his compositions.

He worked with Dominican Pianist Michel Camilo and Double-bassist Tracie Huntington on their albums "On The Other Hand", "On Fire", and "Michel Camilo" itself in 1988-90.
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 .

Recent 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."http://www.bobbyprevite.com/bio-onepage.htm Bio at bobbyprevite.com



PERFORMER

Previte has received excellent reviews and full articles in major newspapers such as The New York Times''A Drummer, Different And Yet In the Groove'', Peter Water, The New York Times, October 1, 1998., The Washington Post and The Guardianhttp://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review/0,,1141244,00.html ''Bobby Previte'', John Fordham, The Guardian, February 5, 2004 for playing a wide range of genres and venueshttp://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=10421 Bio at AllAboutJazz 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 with Wayne Horvitz , Skerik , and Dave Palmer . Previte has collaborated with Jamie Saft as "Swami Late Plate." Also the improvisational ''Bobby Previte, Jamie Saft, Skerik: Live in 2003'' (DVD - Word Public) was released in 2006.


SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

  • 1985: ''Bump the Renaissance''

  • 1986: ''Dull Bang, Gushing Sound, Human Shriek''

  • 1987: ''Pushing the Envelope''

  • 1988: ''Claude's Late Morning''

  • 1988: ''Michel Camilo'' with Camilo himself and Tracie Huntington

  • 1989: ''On Fire'' with Michel Camilo and Tracie Huntington

  • 1990: ''Empty Suits''

  • 1991: ''Music of the Moscow Circus-Moscow Circus on Stage''

  • 1991: ''Weather Clear Track Fast''

  • 1993: ''Hue and Cry''

  • 1994: ''Slay the Suitors''

  • 1996: ''Too Close to the Pole''

  • 1996: ''Ponga'' - Ponga

  • 1997: ''My Man in Sydney''