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Probably the most complete and fully realized of any of Bobby Previte’s recorded work has to be his “The 23 Constellations of Joan Miró,” released in 2002 on Tzadik Records. These 23 miniatures, based on Miro’s famous “Constellation” paintings done during World War II, were scored for harp, two trumpets (Lew Soloff and Ralph Alessi), soprano sax (Jane Bloom), bass clarinet (Ned Rothenberg), flute, percussion, piano/celesta (Jamie Saft), organ/electronics (Wayne Horvitz) and accordion, and were conducted by Kirk Nurock.

“Previte’s masterpiece.” —Wire Magazine

“Profoundly beautiful.” —Downbeat

“Quite unlike anything else in contemporary music.” —Detroit Free Press

“Evanescent.” —The Washington Post

“A desert island disc of ineffable beauty”—The Orange County Register.

“It updates the very spirit of western composition.” —Gramophone

A must for fans of Previte. Complete with 32 page booklet including beautiful reproductions of all 23 paintings.



"The 23 Constellations of Joan Miró"
Click on the listen to download an mp3 sample.
  1. Sunrise (3:07)
  2. The Escape Ladder (2:15)
  3. Figures at Night Guided by the Phosphorescent Tracks of Snails (2:24)
  4. Women at the Beach (2:11) (1.5MB mp3 download) listen
  5. Woman with Blonde Armpit Combing Her Hair by the Light of the Stars (2:15) (1.5MB mp3 download) listen
  6. Morning Star (2:34)
  7. Wounded Personage (2:23)
  8. Women and Birds (2:11)
  9. Women at Night (2:00)
  10. Acrobatic Dancers (2:15)
  11. The Nightingale's Song at Midnight and Morning Rain (2:43) (1.8MB mp3 download) listen
  12. On the Thirteenth, the Ladder Brushed the Firmament (2:20)
  13. Nocturne (2:49)
  14. The Poetess (2:13)
  15. Awakening in the Early Morning (2:42) (1.8MB mp3 download) listen
  16. Toward the Rainbow (2:54)
  17. Women Encircled by the Flight of a Bird (1:32)
  18. Women at the Seashore Made Irridescent by a Passing Swan (2:06)
  19. The Migratory Bird (2:16)
  20. Cyphers and Constellations in Love with a Woman (2:03)
  21. The Beautiful Bird Reveals the Unknown to a Pair of Lovers (2:42)
  22. The Rose Dusk Caresses the Sex of Women and Birds (2:13)
  23. The Passage of the Divine Bird (2:57)
Jane Ira Bloom :: Soprano Saxophone
Ned Rothenberg :: Bass Clarinet
Michel Gentile :: Flute
Lew Soloff :: Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ralph Alessi :: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Elizabeth Panzer :: Harp
Jamie Saft :: Piano, Celesta, Hammond Organ
John Bacon :: Orchestral Percussion
Wayne Horvitz :: Electronics, Hammond Organ
Bobby Previte :: Trap Drums, Percussion
Kirk Nurock :: Conductor

All music composed and arranged by Bobby Previte

Recorded and mixed by by Ron Saint Germain July 9-14, 2001 at Sear Sound, NYC
Mastered by Scott Hull July 27, 2001 at Classic Sound, NYC
Produced by David Breskin/The Art Department
Executive Producer John Zorn
Associate Producer Kazunori Sugiyama

cover photo Miro Holding a Jawbone (c. 1946)

More information about this project can be found here.

2002 - Tzadik, TZ 7072

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