Rope-a-Dope
2006
The Coalition Of The Willing
About This Album
Bobby Previte has been full of surprises during his long and quirky career as a musician's musician. Whether playing swing, hard bop, or vanguard free jazz, or playing electronic drums and keyboards in space-age jams with Charlie Hunter, he's never failed to ignite whatever project he's been part of. Coalition of the Willing is a different animal altogether. Previte's new offering employs a core of musicians including guitarist Hunter and Jamie Saft on keyboards while bringing in players such as trumpeter Steve Bernstein, Latin for Travelers' Stew Cutler on harmonica and slide guitar, and saxophonist Skerik. The music runs rabbit-like all over the map. This is militant music made by a militant composer. It's rock music for a different age -- one that is scarier, angrier, and more put-upon to just surrender than any in memory. The set opens with a hard-driven organ and guitar duel in "The Ministry of Truth," which is space-age surf music. The spaced-out jazz-rock of "Airstrip One" is a startling change of pace, but it too gets upended in the funky roots rock of "Versificator." "The Ministry of Love" -- with Hunter just losing it -- is simply über acid rock & roll that becomes undone when the jangly 12-string-driven "Oceania" drops deep into Middle Eastern dub reggae abut halfway through.
Track List (try tracks 2,4,5 and 8)

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