Longtime downtown drum wizard and master-composer Bobby Previte never ceases to amaze me. With more than twenty discs out as a leader and a dozen or more different bands, he consistently surprises us with each release.
‘Pan Atlantic’ features yet another great band that Bobby has organized with members from different scenes/places like Italy (Petrella), France (Delbecq) and Germany (Puschnig). Still, it is Bobby’s strong writing and selective use of personnel that makes this so great. “Deep Lake” has one of those signature repeating lines (spacious & suspense-filled) that Previte is so fond of with a strong solo from the sax. “Stay on the Path” has an intense M-Base like riff with more burning sax from Wolfgang as well as strong harmonies for the trombone and sax. I can’t recall Mr. Delbecq playing electric piano before this as he is more known for his experiments playing inside an acoustic piano. His skeletal yet cerebral playing fits just right in these tunes and reminds me of the some of the better seventies fusion records. Bobby’s writing is often sly and hypnotic, also recalling great electric jazz from the same era. What makes this disc so fine is the way Bobby’s music evokes the grand gesture, each piece sounds like we are entering a fantastic new scene. On “Destruction Layer” the eerie electric piano and bubbling electric bass have that sinister ‘Bitches Brew’ like vibe. The title track is my favorite since the lush, majestic harmonies for the horns and distorted electric piano sound so great together, opposites that blend perfectly. What’s interesting about this disc is that although Bobby’s (small group) composing has not changed that much in the two decades that he’s been around, this music still sounds fresh and engaging in its own way.
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