University of Massachusetts Amherst

Contents:

Around the Center
Dr. Willie Hill
Receives FAME Award in Washington

Alankara: Arts in India
Postcard from India

Jazz in July
Such Sweet Thunder Book Fair Fundraiser

Jazz in July Summer Music Programs
Celebrating the Power of American Music

Education & Access
New Funding Helps Students Connect to the Arts

Asian Arts & Culture
Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence

Performing Arts
Trilok Gurtu Band
Taking World Music to a Whole New Level

Word Becomes Flesh
Body and Soul of Spoken Word Performance

Bobby Previte
Bobby Bumps into Bezanson

Miami City Ballet
Rubies to Sparkle at Celebration of Balanchine

Emerging Choreographer Series
The Power of Response

Visual Arts
Visages: Jennifer Tibbetts
Face Up! Face Down! Face Value! Face It!

Miya Masaoka
Tradition meets Innovation

Recent Gifts & Acquisitions
New Pieces Unveiled

April/May 2004 > Bobby Previte
Bobby Previte
Bobby Bumps into Bezanson

 


The Magic Triangle Jazz Series concludes its 15th season on Thursday, April 29, with an 8:00 pm performance by Bobby Previte and Bump in Bezanson Recital Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The all-star quintet consists of Bobby Previte, drums, Marty Ehrlich, tenor sax, Curtis Fowlkes, trombone, Wayne Horvitz, piano and Steve Swallow, bass.

Bobby Previte began his life in music at thirteen, playing soul and rock music in the old bars, clubs, and bordellos of Niagara Falls, NY. He later studied formally at the University of Buffalo, where his teachers included John Cage and Morton Feldman. Previte then ran head on into Miles Davis, Varèse, Mingus, Terry Reilly, Abstract Expressionism, Stravinsky, Frank Lloyd Wright, Balanchine and William Faulkner.

He moved to New York City in 1979, and for more than twenty years he has remained one of the major figures in the New York City music world, widely hailed for his electrifying drumming and his stunning, unclassifiable compositions. "Mr. Previte's pieces are thoroughly, stubbornly, and distinctly his own...the music copies nothing," writes The New York Times. In reviewing the first of two Bump releases, CD Review writes, "Previte's music rolls along like an 18-wheeler eating up Interstate 15 through the Arizona-Nevada desert."

Excerpts from a recent interview with Bobby:

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of leading a band from the drum chair?

Drummers can think about the global sense of the music because they’re not defining the music too much with their instrument. As a drummer you are not a traditional soloist, so you don’t run the risk of the band just becoming a vehicle for you. Like Coltrane’s band was basically a vehicle for him. It’s interesting, as a drummer you can’t lead the band with your instrument as much. Of course, in a certain sense you are: the drummer is the conductor of every band they’re in. But a band that features the drummer, usually those bands fail miserably. If you think of Art Blakey’s bands, it didn’t feature him, but he put his stamp on them.

The disadvantage is that you can’t define the music too much through your instrument; the very thing that is the advantage is also the disadvantage. Because you’re playing the drums, you have to think long and hard about how to set things up and how to get your world view across through the so-called melody or lead instruments.

Also, sometimes it’s just hard to hear because the way the drums are set up - kind of a wall around you. And perceptions, that’s another disadvantage: the perception of the drummer as a second class citizen, not having a melodic instrument. That might be a reason why there are not a lot of drummer/composers, because people still regard that as a strange thing.

You moved to New York in 1979. You were part of a rich scene in the 1980s. What was that like?

What was it like? It was great! There were more places to play, people weren’t paying $8 billion in rent and the East Village wasn’t a yuppie paradise. You could go to some little club and try out the most bizarre thing you had been thinking about, and it would be fine and people would show up. Now it’s very difficult to try things. Everything is an event; you have to bring in people. The clubs-first of all there’s less of them and they’re more bottom-line conscious. (The Bottom Line itself is closed.) I think it’s more difficult today, especially for the younger musician. I had that day where I got known and was able to experiment. New York when I moved here was fantastic.

Your music covers such a wide territory. What did you grow up listening to? It must have been an eclectic mix.

The funny thing is, I don’t think I’m eclectic but everyone else seems to. Usually in my music, I’m not trying to combine styles like others do in the so-called, Downtown scene. I never did that so much. I was just interested in writing music at the moment that reflected what I was about and where I was. I’m a person of broad interests, yes. But when I write music I don’t set out to go ‘now here’s the country section and here’s the' blah, blah blah.’

When I grew up, I had a very narrow musical landscape. I listened only to soul and rock-the things that were on the radio and television. My family didn’t even have a record player. So I wasn’t exposed to a lot of music until I went to college. When I heard John Cage I said, ‘Oh my God, who is this guy? What is this about?’ That completely took me by surprise. I had no idea music like that existed. You know, Bitches Brew. What is this?

What about Bump, the band you are bringing to the University of Massachusetts?

I kind of got a dream band together (originally with Ray Anderson on trombone) and we did a tour. I thought it would be one tour, but then it was just so much fun that I decided maybe I ought to write some more music and keep it going. What I like about it is that everybody is a grizzled veteran. I’ve been playing with a lot of younger musicians, which I really love. This band is different. The musicians are more my peers. They’re all road-worthy and it’s so comfortable. It’s a pretty powerful band.


Archives
Calendar
Contact
FAC Home
© 2003 University of Massachusetts Amherst, Site Policies
Site maintained by The Fine Arts Center
>