Bobby Previte – “Terminals Quartets” (Cantaloupe, 2017)

“Terminals Quartets’ – it’s the newest album by compositor, jazz improviser Bobby Previte. Album had been released in March by “Cantaloupe Music” and played by NYU “Percussion Ensemble”. This ensemble performs modern music which is based on modern and novatoric percussion. Musicians use many strange and novatoric instruments, try out musical experiments. There also is high variety of timbres, strange noises and sounds of instruments. The music of ensemble has modern music and avant-garde jazz styles. It’s free, approachable, evocative and modern.

“Terminals Quartets” has 5 compositions. Each of them is written for different instruments played by musicians of percussion ensemble. There are “Terminal A” (Alex Appel, Brandon Nestor, Matthew Overbay, Sara Barsky), “Terminal B” (Adam Holmes, Luz Carime Santa Coloma, Indigo Cook, Rob Guilford), “Terminal C” (Luis Jacome, Russell Fisher, Rose Egan, Greg Auffredou), “Terminal D” ( Yael Litwin, Sean Perham, Doug Chew, Sarah Bennett, Bobby Previte & Yael Litwin – drum set solos) and “Terminal E” ( Abby Fisher, Karina Yau, Alex Appel, Marc Akiyama, Jonathan Haas – timpani solo). The music of qall compositions is modern and novatoric. There are high variety of instruments, sounds, music styles and other elements. The music has effective and approachable sound which is based on contrasts and different music elements combined one after another. After drum rolls, strong timpani solos and other active and energetic melodies subtle and silent episodes are included. This music is full of surprises, has variable and polyphonic musical facture and is very dynamic. Musicians also can improvise, try out new playing techniques, novatoric musi cal experiments. The form of these compositions isn’t based on strict form which is used for European music. It’s free, variable and dynamic compositions which are combined of many different and novatoric music elements, sounds, timbres and styles. That’s why this music has effective, modern, approachable and interesting sound.