Bobby Previte is an Animal

Thanks to my 8 year (and running) obsession with Skerik, I have gotten to see some great musicians. How many nights a year does he play? 200? 250 maybe? He may go for a two or three week tour with the same band but it changes all year round so there's always something different. Whenever I see his name on a bill, it's pretty much a guarantee that I'm gonna be there if I'm in a nearby area code. It partly has to do with the way he rocks his saxophone - that crazy charming black voodoo magic saxophone - but it also is very much about the folks that he surrounds himself with. Never any slouches. Always top-notch musicians.

Last night at the Knitting Factory, Skerik was actually not front and center. This post isn't even really about Skerik at all! This night was about Bobby Previte and his Coalition of the Willing who had their final show of tour last night. This version of the alliance included Skerik (duh) with Charlie Hunter on guitar (just "plain" ol' guitar - not the eight-string) and Robert Walter on organ (but it really was an electronic keyboard pretending to be an organ). What a fantastic lineup! Everyone got their chance to shine but it was clear that this is Bobby's band and the other boys are just along for the ride. Bobby is one of those people that have that rhythm coming out of them at all times and when you put the sticks in his hand we can all enjoy it. The beats are like a part of his DNA and you can just imagine him tapping away in the womb. There's a few drummers that really create that feeling for me... Andrew Barr, Joe Russo, and Jason Smart come to mind. I digress...

Watching Bobby is mind-blowing. He is a monster but does it all with that mellow "downtown" jazzy classy vibe. But what the hell do I know anyway. Here's a little video of Bobby last night:



That's it for now...