Short Bio Summary
Premik, a composer, arranger, producer and an accomplished multi-instrumentalist performs on various flutes, soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, wind synthesizers, and lap steel guitar.
Premik’s May of 2008 schedule led him to perform in Sting's Rainforest Foundation Fund benefit concert Some Kinda Legacy at Carnegie Hall followed by extensive touring with Russian legend Boris Grebenshikov beginning in London at the Royal Albert Hall, continuing on to Dublin, Kiev, Milan, Moscow, St. Petersburg, ending the year in Vienna. In 2008 he accompanied both Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka Shankar on tamboura at the Kimmell Center in Philadelphia and on various occassions in 2009 he accompanied on flute and saxophone the contemporary Rabindrasangeet vocalist Rezwana Chowdhury Banya. May of 2009 brought Premik to California for the Narada Michael Walden Foundation, Let the Sunshine In benefit concert. May of 2010 Premik played at Carnegie Hall in the The Rainforest Fund's 21st Birthday Celebration Benefit Concert. June of 2010 Premikplayed at Sting & Trudie Styler’s NYC apartment (private dinner- fund raiser) following the Jazz at Lincoln Center performance of Twin Spirits, a celebration of composer Robert Schumann’s 200th birthday.
Premik, in conjunction with jazz pianist Uli Geissendoerfer heads Bangalore Breakdown, an exciting world music ensemble. They just released their first CD, titled Diary, in 2008. Premik and Uli, in 2011, will release their own collaborative CD with a Balkans/Germany tour planned for the latter end of the year. Premik also leads The Light Riders, a world, jazz, East-West quartet featuring top New York players. The sound is electro-acoustic, that of contrasting soundscapes reaching for new sonic dimensions, with inspiration rooted in the cutting edge jazz/fusion groups of the past. The Light Riders explore the beauty of Indian ragas, the harmonic dynamism of Western orchestrations, the improvisational freedom of jazz and roll it all into joyful nonstop music exploration.
In 2004, Premik had released his own album, Mission Transcendence, a soulful melding of East /West, jazz and world styles. Previous solo releases include Transformation-Dawn, Run to Tomorrow's Sun, A New World of Peace and Endless Energy, Sleepless Speed. Previous solo releases include Transformation-Dawn, Run to Tomorrow's Sun, A New World of Peace and Endless Energy, Sleepless Speed. In October of 2009 Pratyavartana, a collaboration album by Premik Russell Tubbs and Steve Booke was released. Pratyavartana is Sanskrit for 'homeward journey.'
Premik has worked with (everyone from) Carlos Santana, Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Ravi Shankar, Narada Michael Walden, Clarence Clemons, Ornette Coleman, Jackson Browne, Jean-Luc Ponty, Lonnie Liston-Smith, Sting, Billy Joel, and James Taylor, just to name a few. He is equally adept in pop, R&B, jazz, world and experimental genres.
Continued Exended Bio
Early Background: Premik, (pronounced pray-meek) was born Russell Wayne Tubbs in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. His dad, Harold “Harry” Tubbs was a trumpet/flugelhorn player as well as big band arranger. He is well remembered for these latter abilities in John Coltrane's 1957 classic album The Winner's Circle which was re-released on CD in 2007. He began Premik on piano and music theory at the age of six with simultaneous exposure to a wide array of musical styles by way of various jazz and classical concerts of the day.
Most Influential Teachers: Joe Allard, Ornette Coleman, Sri Chinmoy
1974, 1975: Premik joined with John McLaughlin in the making of the album Visions of the Emerald Beyond, Mahavishnu Orchestra. This involved tours of Europe and the U.S. The U.S. tour proved a remarkable pairing up of both Mahavishnu and the Jeff Beck Group where he worked alongside Jean-Luc Ponty, bassist Ralph Armstrong and Narada Michael Walden on drums.
1975, 1978, 1980: Premik was invited by Carlos Santana to play the Planetary Celebration held at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY which included such artists as Santana, James Taylor, Pete Seeger and John McLaughlin. Carlos had finished his first solo album for Columbia, entitled Oneness: Silver Dreams, Golden Reality, and Premik joined him on a six-week European tour as part of an opening act for the Santana Band called Devadip Oneness.
In a follow-up landmark album titled The Swing of Delight, Herbie Hancock was invited as co-arranger and co-musical director. Now working in collaboration was Premik, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Ron Carter and Carlos Santana along with various Santana band members. Performing throughout the album Premik, as well, aided in arrangements of several of the tunes.
1983-1985: Premik played with Lonnie Liston-Smith, jazz keyboardist with the highly successful album Dreams of Tomorrow. Premik was chosen as Smith's saxophonist/flutist for the next two years of touring and recording, playing at venues throughout the U.S., Great Britain, and the Montreaux Jazz Festival. During this time, Premik recorded on two of Lonnie's albums: Silhouettes and Rejuvenation with the great bassist Cecil McBee.
1995: Premik performed with India's great violinist, Dr L. Subramanium at the opening of his new work Global Symphony. Premik has also been featured on soprano sax, flute and wind synthesizer in Subramanium's Global Fusion tours throughout India and the U.S.
1994-2009: Premik joined composer Carman Moore's Skymusic Ensemble, performing Moore's epic work Mass for the 21st Century that summer as part of Lincoln Center's Out-Of-Doors concert series. He has remained a member of this ensemble to date. Premik will soon be featured in Moore's latest work, Concerto for Ornette and Orchestra, which in its world premier will also feature Ornette Coleman as guest soloist.
Extended List-Recording Credits: With Carlos Santana “The Swing of Delight” (Also co-writer and co-arranger along with Herbie Hancock), With Whitney Houston “How Will I Know” (1 single from the album, “Whitney Houston”) Also, “Love is A Contact Sport” from the album 'Whitney,” With Regina Belle “Baby, Come to Me,” from the album “Stay with Me,” With Clarence Clemons & Jackson Browne. “You're a Friend of Mine” from the album “Hero,” With John McLaughlin, “Visions of the Emerald Beyond”, With Narada Micheal Walden “The Garden of Love-Light” and “I Cry, I Smile,” With Lonnie Liston Smith “Rejuvenation” and “Silhouettes,” With Jermaine Stewart “We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off (To Have a Good Time)” and “Don't Ever Leave Me”, both from the album “Frantic Romantic,” With Yoko Ogimone “The Verge of Love,” With Kristin Hoffman “Real”, “The Waking” (produced by Michael Whalen), With Uli Geissendoerfer & Bangalore Breakdown “Diary”, With Boris Grebenshikov “White Horse”.
Premik is listed in THE HISTORY OF TOP 40 SAXOPHONE SOLOS 1955-2005 -by John Laughter & Steve D. Marshall.
Extended List - Artists whom Premik has worked with: Carlos Santana, Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Ravi Shankar, Larry Coryell, Jeff Beck, Sting, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Narada Michael Walden, Gil Goldstein, Jean-Luc Ponty, Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Lonnie Liston-Smith, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, Regina Belle, Jermaine Stewart, Carl Lewis, Brenda Russell, Clarence Clemons & other members of the E Street Band, Jackson Browne, Pete Seeger, Harry Chapin, Don McLean, Cecil McBee, Harvey Mason, T.M. Stevens, Anoushka Shankar, L. Subramanium, L. Shankar, Trilok Gurtu, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Colin Walcott (& members of the group OREGON), Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Carman Moore & Skymusic Ensemble, Andy Narell, Clara Ponty, Vasant Rai, Scarlet Rivera, Kristin Hoffmann, Uli Geissendoerfer & Bangalore Breakdown, Steve Gorn, Boris Grebenshikov & Aquarium.
Performing groups and soon to be released recordings: Bangalore Breakdown (perform as full 8 to 10 piece ensemble - or fewer for small stage venues); Meditation album w/ Steve Booke; “Eternal Bliss” is the working title for the album w/ pianist Anna Dagmar, sitarist Ikhlaq Hussain and tabla maestro Naren Budhakar; Performing quartet featuring keyboardist Neil Alexander, percussionist Todd Isler, and bassist Nathan Peck.
Film Credits: Premik has composed original music for the following short films: Cultural Baggage - Comedy, directed by Frank Chindamo, Winner, Gold Hugo Award, Intercom Film Festival in Chicago and Golden Eagle Award, Council on International Non-Theatrical Events, 1995, Woodlands of the Pacific Northwest - NYU student film, directed by Jim Brown, The Inner Runner - Sports Documentary, directed by Steven Schecter, Triathlon - Sports documentary directed by Steven Schecter, Read My Lips - Comedy, directed by Joe Giardano, Halsey/Garside - Corporate training film, directed by Martha Keys for Something-In-Common, Logican Group - Overview, directed by Edgar Mills of Northrup/Grumann Corporation, Sign Of The Times - Comedy, directed by Joe Giardano for “Something-In-Common.”
Fashion Show- Live music for L'Oreal product release, Chelsea Art Museum, aprox. 250 in attendance
Off-Broadway:”Coming of Age in Korea” -flute, soprano and tenor saxophone.
Additional Areas of Focus: Compose music for: Film (Live Action & Animation), Designer Runway Fashion Shows, Art Exhibitions, Book Signings, TV &/or Radio, Corporate Videos, Dance Companies, Broadway & Off Broadway, Special Occasions.
Recording Studio: A small facility located in Queens, New York, home to many successful projects produced by Premik.
Music Lessons, Workshops & Speaking Engagements.
Premik gives new meaning to world music as a multi-instrumentalist who is instrumentally multilingual. Music IS language.
Press Quotes:
Review of Bangalore Breakdown/CD Diary
Which brings us to the question of what to call this music. Is it world music? Is it jazz? Is it some kind of new uncategorizable fusion that hasn’t yet been labeled?
Whatever you call the music on Diary, it is undeniably heartfelt expression coming from a very genuine place.
“I’ve played it to friends of mine who have heard me in more tame settings or even with the Mahavishnu Project, which is music that they recognize,” says Premik. “And they listen and say, ‘This is like a flavor of ice cream I’ve never tasted before.’”
And who doesn’t like ice cream?
-- Bill Milkowski
Bill Milkowski is a regular contributor to Jazz Times. He is also the author of “JACO: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius” (Backbeat Books)
Bangalore Breakdown/CD Diary: Mukti (Rating: 92/100) posted in Music March 15, 09 Jazz,com
Each player is a life- giving tributary to one great river of music. “Mukti” is a joyous romp of world influences. Bangalore Breakdown is just the band to break things down and put them back together again. Reviewer: Walter Kolosky
Bangalore Breakdown/CD Diary: Song (Rating: 92/100) posted in Music March 15, 09 Jazz.com
The world-jazz movement is gaining steam every day, which can be nothing but a good thing for music and for the world...
Bangalore Breakdown is an ensemble made from the continents, playing music that is an argument for establishing worldwide normalization of relations.Do you get my continental drift? Reviewer: Walter Kolosky
