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

Previte has 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.
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:
  • "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."

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". 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

As sideman

With Terry Adams
  • Terrible
With Ray Anderson
  • Where Home Is
  • Sweet Chicago Suite
With The Bang
  • Omonimo
With Bob Belden
  • Black Dahlia
With Marco Benevento
With Tim Berne
With Jane Ira Bloom
With William S. Burroughs
With Corporate Art
  • Corporate Art
With Paul Dresher and Ned Rothenberg
  • Opposites Attract
With Marty Ehrlich
  • Pliant Plaint
  • The Traveller's Tale
  • Can You Hear a Motion?
  • Malinke's Dance
  • The Long View
With Carol Emanuel
  • Tops of Trees
With David Fulton
  • Marcos & Harry
With David Garland
  • Togetherness: Control Songs, Vol. 2
With Jerome Harris
With Robin Holcomb
With Lindsey Horner
With Bill Horvitz
  • Solo Electric Guitar Compositions for an 11-Solo Guitar & Ensemble Piece Ensemble
With Wayne Horvitz
With Charlie Hunter
With Yoko Kanno
With Guy Klucevsek
  • Flying Vegetables of the Apocalypse
  • Polka Dots & Laser Beams
  • ?Who Stole the Polka?
With Makigami Koichi
  • Koroshi No Blues
With The New York Composers Orchestra
  • The New York Composers Orchestra
  • First Program in Standard Time
With Kirk Nurock
  • Remembering Tree Friends
With Seigen Ono
  • NekonoTopia NekonoMania
  • Bar Del Mattatoio
  • Montreux 93/94
With the Peggy Stern/Thomas Chapin Quintet
  • The Fuchsia
With Ponga
With Mike Pride
  • Drummer's Corpse
With Bobby Radcliff
  • Early in the Morning
With Jamie Saft
With Jeffrey Schanzer
  • Vistas
With Elliott Sharp
  • Virtual Stance
  • Fractal
  • Larynx
  • Sili/Contemp/Tation
  • Arc 1: I/S/M 1980-1983
  • Arc 2: The Seventies 1972-79
With The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet
With Various Artists
With Tom Varner
  • Covert Action
With Tom Waits
With Victoria Williams
With Andreas Willers
  • Cityscapes
With John Zorn