SAMF teams with Hallwalls to present Bobby Previte’s Improvisation Workshop for Free
Unearth and celebrate your own voice in music with a Master!
Taking a break from Where The Bands Are this week–but will be back next week with lots of music news and picks!
In the meantime, I thought I’d share information about this unique opportunity that I’m proud to be involved with. The deadline to apply is April 25, so if you or anyone you know is interested, please sign up soon - there is limited space. Here’s some background:
We know that music-making can be a transformative agent for musicians of all ages. And there is no means of gaining more intimate access to that transformative power than through the spirit-freeing process of improvisation.
SAMF is thrilled to announce that the foundation is teaming with Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center to present Bobby Previte’s Improvisation Workshop in Buffalo between May 4 and May 9, 2024. (The on-line application can be found here.)
Previte, a Western New York native and graduate of the UB School of Music, is a widely celebrated drummer, composer, performer and educator who rose to renown as a seminal figure in the 1980s ‘Downtown Scene’ in New York City.
In addition to his prolific output as a bandleader, Previte has worked with such luminaries as Charlie Hunter, Stanton Moore, Skerik, Nels Cline, John Medeski, Iggy Pop, Jamie Saft, and Steve Swallow, among dozens of others.
Much of Previte’s genius can be posited to his unerring ability to walk the tightrope between composed, notated music and envelope-pushing improvisation. This ability is a constant in all of Previte’s work, and affords him keen insight into the risks and rewards associated with true in-the-moment improvisation.
SAMF’s sponsorship of Previte’s visit allows the Improvisation Workshop, which will be conducted in-person at Hallwalls in Buffalo, to be presented free of charge to interested participants.
Those participants will work directly with Previte to create group improvisations “structured around, and limited by certain criteria—density, form, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, silence, register, and orchestration,” according to Previte. “In addition, through group improvising, the class will investigate the nature of judgement, emotion, technique, role, and the genesis of the ‘idea germ’ in the making of music.”
The goal for the course, which is open to musicians of all skill levels, age groups and musical proclivities, is for participants to unearth and celebrate their own voice in music. The course is not specific to any genre, and ability to read and write music is not required, nor is previous experience with improvisation.
The course will be conducted over 5 days – Saturday, May 4 through Wednesday, May 8. At the conclusion of the course, participants will each write short “scores for improvisation.” The group will present these scores in an open-to-the-public concert at The Cave on Thursday, May 9 at 7 pm.
The full schedule for the Workshop is as follows:
Saturday May 4 and Sunday May 5
10 am-12:30 pm Morning Session
12:30 pm-2 pm Lunch Break
2 pm-5:30 pm Afternoon Session
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday May 6, 7, 8
6 pm – 9 pm – Evening Sessions
Thursday Evening, May 9
Concert at The Cave at 7 pm
The on-line application is here. Deadline for application is April 25 - but spots will fill up quickly – so please sign up ASAP. Invited participants will be notified shortly after deadline.
For more information about his workshops, visit Bobby Previte’s website https://www.bobbyprevite.com/teaching or email me (Workshop Coordinator) at jeffmiersmusic@gmail.com.
Quotes from workshop alumni:
"Bobby strips away your illusions and creates an environment of talented musicians who mutually support each other in building a better version of themselves as players and as creative artists. It is transformational, and reminds us that aesthetics trumps technique."
"It was the highlight of my summer ...thank you!"
"I loved the feeling of coming into Hudson Hall each day—I felt removed from the rest of the world, and there was a great energy."
"It was such a pleasure to be around musicians from all different ages and levels of experience in and around music."
"Bobby Previte is in a category of one in his ability to communicate the mysterious and transformational power of improvised music with passion, wit, and humor. This workshop offers musicians a remarkable opportunity to confront and dismantle the preconceptions and assumptions that can so easily sabotage the process of spontaneous music making. Previte illuminates a world of boundless creative possibility, empowering musicians to reinvent themselves in each and every moment. He offers musicians a catalyzing experience, teaching how to deliver wholehearted and unapologetic music from the heart."