Bobby Previte’s first stage appearance came in 1956 at the Niagara Falls Community Talent Show where, dressed in an oversized suit, and slinging a guitar, he belted out a solo rendition of Elvis’ hit, “Hound Dog.” Figuring music was a great way to get girls, at thirteen he fashioned his first set out of a rusted iron garbage can turned on its side (the bass drum), two pieces of linoleum crimped together, stuck through with a wire coat-hanger, wound into a spring and crowned with a rubber ball (the kick pedal), four upside-down rubber trash bins (the toms), a box with loose junk rattling around inside (the snare), and three plungers with aluminum pie plates nailed on top (the cymbals), set them up in his basement, and practiced for months on end with a lone spotlight shining on him. When the band he was in finally got a job, he was fired for not having ‘real’ drums. Vowing to go it alone, he got a paper route, bought his first set, a 1965 Rogers Holiday model in blue sparkle, fell in love with the sound, and never looked back. Traveling the world, he has sat behind the drums in a prodigious array of places, from the Palace Burlesque in Buffalo, NY to Gloria’s Corral Club in the Kentucky backwoods to Carnegie Hall, South America, Europe, Russia, Japan, Australia, and back. In 1968, while walking in the west village, Previte spotted Jimi Hendrix in a limo, unfurled the poster of Jimi he happened to have just bought, and then looked on in astonishment as Jimi smiled and flashed him the peace sign. All the rest is noise.
Jamie Saft is a producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from New York. Saft’s stylistic versatility, multi-instrumentalist capabilities, and production skills have been featured with The Beastie Boys, Bad Brains, The B-52’s, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, John Adams, Antony and the Johnsons, and scores of other artists. Saft is a mainstay of the downtown scene and a member of bands such as The Beta Popes, Whoopie Pie, Swami LatePlate, The Shakers and Bakers, The Dreamers, and Electric Masada. Saft has recently composed a number of original film scores and music for television. Recent films scored include the Oscar nominated film “Murderball”, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “God Grew Tired Of Us”, and currently airing HBO documentary “Dear Talula”. Saft has also contributed score music for Nickelodeon, MTV, and A&E. Saft has released a number of records, including “Breadcrumb Sins” (Tzadik), “Trouble- The Jamie Saft Trio Plays Bob Dylan” (Tzadik), “Sovlanut” (Tzadik), and Swami LatePlate’s “Doom Jazz” (Veal). for a complete discography, please see www.jamiesaft.com
Born in Illinois from Taiwanese and East Timorese parents, Jen Shyu is a vocalist, composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, and dancer based in NYC. As a soloist and bandleader and a core member of saxophonist Steve Coleman’s Five Elements, Shyu has worked with the late great poet Sekou Sundiata, Mat Maneri, Ben Monder, her band members David Binney, Dan Weiss, Thomas Morgan, Shane Endsley, and has duo projects with pianist Dave Burrell, bassist Mark Dresser, guitarist Miles Okazaki, guqin player Wu Na, dancer Satoshi Haga, and actress Soomi Kim among others. She has produced two albums under her own name (For Now, Jade Tongue), and has been awarded fellowships/commissions from the MacDowell Colony, the Asian Cultural Council, Jerome Foundation, Roulette Space, Jazz Gallery, and the Bronx Council on the Arts. More: www.jenshyu.com, www.myspace.com/jenshyu.
Visuals by Benton-C Bainbridge.
doors at 8:00, showtime at 8:30