By: Rudy Lu

Bobby Previte is a well known drummer that is based in the Hudson/Catskill area. He originally was part of the 80’s NYC downtown Jazz scene and subsequently emigrated upstate. His gigs are presently centered around western NE and the Hudson Valley. He has chosen to come to Schenectady to debut his newest band in 20 years, the Second Arrow Quartet.

The band was anchored by his longtime associate, the 5 string electric bassist, Jerome Harris. The other band members include Matt Bauder (woodwinds), Wendy Eisenberg (guitar) and Angelica Sanchez (piano). Previte and Harris are in their seventies, their colleagues decades younger.

Together this combo was recruited to play Previte’s challenging music.

The music started with a Previte drum solo. “Roam” set the pace for the evening. Dynamic patterns of notes played rapidly, both loudly and softly. Jerome Harris walking the bass or playing repetitive riffs, a free for all with frequent solos then duets. Sanchez playing rapid notes both quietly and with accent. Bauder playing slow and steady on bass clarinet, tenor sax or flute to give different tonalities, Eisenberg giving twirling voicings to her notes or simply chording along.

Compositions were titled by single words. The music played originated from his new album now on Bandcamp “Second Arrow”.

There were pauses between compositions, Previte explaining with a grin the meaning or feelings that his compositions were trying to express or the feelings that the music was supposed to generate, At times, he sat back and listened to the band with delight.

He had a small table of various hand percussion at his side. These were reserved toward the end of the set for “Range”. He rang small bells and played them with a drumstick. No, there was no cowbell. These quiet passages were abruptly interrupted by Eisenberg’s effects laden guitar, followed by quieter piano runs.

The band arrived early to rehearse the music before the concert. This was the first performance.

For those who are familiar with Previte, the performance was exhilarating. Not for the faint of heart, but for those who have an adventurous ear, this was a treat. For the audience that was there, it certainly was.

As mentioned previously, this is Previte’s first foray to the capital district 518 . I hope it will not be the last.

For those who would like to follow his other projects, Previte has a residency at the Avalon Lounge in Catskill that includes a quartet and a big band. This has been suspended until the fall.

Thanks to club owner Chris Sule for bringing the band to Schenectady. vandyckmusicclub.com