I think that Bobby Previte is one of the most underrated among great jazz artists. Although his music seems to be so innovative as - for example - work of Gary Thomas, Steve Coleman, Greg Osby and other M-BASE'ers thus his mother label Gramavision refused to issue his last recording due to it's too experimenttal.

My first meeting with Bobby Previte's music was CD included in 1994's February issue of monthly magazine called "JAZZ a go-go". This CD contained one premiere cut of his EMPTY SUITS band called "Waltz". At this time I became his great fan despite of rarely avalaible CDs with his music in Poland.

BOBBY PREVITE
was born in on 16th of July 1951 in Niagara Falls, NY, USA. Studied at the Buffalo University. In 1980 moved from Buffalo to New York. He's drummer and composer as well. Except jazz his intrests cover classical and film music (to Robert Altman's film "Shortcuts"). In 1990 he earned "talented musician" title in Annual Down Beat Critics Poll and in 1991 the title of "Hot Jazz Artist" of Rolling Stone magazine. His music cooperation is related to such artists as John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Elliot Sharp and Mark Helias.

Bobby Previte leads himself two different groups - electric and more weird EMPTY SUITS (with such musicians like Robin Eubanks, Steve Gaboury, Wayne Horvitz and Jerome Harris) and acoustic WEATHER CLEAR, TRACK FAST (with Don Byron, Anthony Cox, and others).
Oddly enough the Empty Suits name was taken from a letter to one of newspapers which was written by a man voting for Republicans all his life. When Dan Quayle was to become the vice-president he voted for Democrats saying that he wouldn't let "Empty Suits" people to lead the country. "Empty Suits" - due to nice suits and emty minds. Bobby Previte refers it to the world of Jazz too.

Patrice Roussel maintains Bobby Previte Home Page at WNUR-FM so after You finish reading mine look at this location: www.nwu.edu/WNUR/jazz/artists/previte.bobby/

Although Bobby Previte's recordings as leader and compositor are few but the whole listing of the most of the projects he participated in is very long and impressive.

His work is so scattered that I have decided to devide it into a few groups.

Items listed below are arranged chronologicaly by the date of recording (or by the date of issue if recording date is unknown or multiple).

Most CDs` details are compiled by Patrice Roussel.

DISCOGRAPHY

as leader