Bobby Previte


Bobby Previte 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

While Previte is a talented drummer he has also received critical acclaim for his "exceptional abilities as a composer and orchestrator." 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." Another critic notes Previte's "driving and propulsive compositions, featuring both fiery jazz expressionism and layered counterpoint that suggested elements of contemporary minimalism.
Previte's compositions are often tightly arranged, although they leave room for significant amounts of improvisation. Additionally, Previte often uses unusual instrumentation and also draws on many non-jazz musics for his compositions.
In 1991, he wrote the score for "Cirk Valentin", a stage show consisting of circus acts created by Valentin Gneushev that performed at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway.
Recent large-scale compositional works as of Spring 2007 include:
Previte is currently working on a series of percussion concertos featuring So Percussion ensemble and solo improvisers scheduled to premiere in 2011.

Performer

Previte has received excellent reviews and full articles in major newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian for playing a wide range of genres and venues 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". 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." Also the improvisational Bobby Previte, Jamie Saft, Skerik: Live in 2003 was released in 2006. April In New York, is a 5-DVD set released 2007 of improvisational duets.
Previte appeared in the movie Short Cuts directed by Robert Altman.
In 1997 he founded the record company and label Depth of Field.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

DVD'
With Terry Adams
With Ray Anderson
With The Bang
With Bob Belden
With Marco Benevento
With Tim Berne
With Jane Ira Bloom
With William S. Burroughs
  • Dead City Radio
With Corporate Art
  • Corporate Art
With Paul Dresher and Ned Rothenberg
With Marty Ehrlich
With Carol Emanuel
With David Fulton
With David Garland
With Jerome Harris
With Robin Holcomb
With Lindsey Horner
With Bill Horvitz
With Wayne Horvitz
With Charlie Hunter
With Yoko Kanno
With Guy Klucevsek
With Makigami Koichi
With The New York Composers Orchestra
With Kirk Nurock
With Seigen Ono
With the Peggy Stern/Thomas Chapin Quintet
With Ponga
With Mike Pride
With Bobby Radcliff
With Jamie Saft
With Jeffrey Schanzer
With Elliott Sharp
With The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet
With Various Artists
With Tom Varner
  • Covert Action
With Tom Waits
  • Rain Dogs
With Victoria Williams
With Andreas Willers
  • Cityscapes
With John Zorn