Uri Caine Shelf Life

Pianist Uri Caine holds a unique distinction, known the world over as a stellar jazz pianist, but a critics' darling for his genre-blind reworkings of classical music. His takes on the work of Gustav Mahler, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Wagner have become modern classics which straddle several musical worlds, but Caine's is no one-trick pony. When he isn't busy turning classical music history on its head, his restless artistic curiosity has taken him to a variety of other realms. The pianist tipped his hat to Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock, with album-length salutes to each, took a stroll down Tin Pan Alley (Winter & Winter, 1999), visited Brazilian music via Rio (Winter & Winter, 2001), explored the possibilities within the solo piano context on Solitaire (Winter & Winter, 2001), and tackled fusion in his own personal way with his Bedrock band.

Basically, one of the great attributes of this ambitious project is based upon Caine's ability to inject humor and disparate elements into his writings and arrangements; although, there's much more than meets the eye here as ideas abound....

Uri Caine’s Bedrock - Plastic Temptation (2009)
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© 2009 Winter & Winter | W&W 910 161-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Creative / Fusion / Piano

Uri Caine opens a new window in his versatile playhouse of music. Together with Zach Danziger and Tim Lefebvre he plays with the development of electronic and groove music. Caine, Danziger and Lefebvre are Bedrock and »Plastic Temptation« is their third album. The older sounds of the Hammond B3 and Minimoog are combined with the sounds of Drum 'n' Bass and electronica. Their sound encompasses wild improvisations, remixes of their own sounds, beats, and elements of Dance and House music. »Plastic Temptation« also features the stirring voice of gospel singer Barbara Walker and the propulsive rhythms of percussionist Elizabeth Pupo-Walker.

John Zorn & Uri Caine - Moloch: Book of Angels, Vol. 6 (2006) {Tzadik TZ 7360}
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© 2006 Tzadik | TZ 7360 | Tzadik Archival Series
Jazz / Modern Jazz / Piano

Uri Caine is a musician of astonishing virtuosity and versatility. Coming out of the legendary Philly Jazz scene, his playing is an encyclopedia of styles from Tatum to Evans and beyond. With Moloch he interprets tunes from Zorn’s Book of Angels in a breathtaking outing for solo piano. Virtuosic and soulful, this latest volume of material from Masada Book Two is an absolute tour-de-force. Fifteen musical miniatures by one of the world’s greatest piano virtuosos.

Uri Caine & Gustav Mahler - Dark Flame (2003) {Winter & Winter 910 095-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 412 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 184 Mb
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© 2003 Winter & Winter | 910 095-2
Jazz / Classical / Modern Creative / Third Stream / Piano

In his time, European classical composer Gustav Mahler (b. 1860, d. 1911) had both his supporters and his detractors. Some people in Europe understood his work; some people didn't. And in the 21st century, the same thing can be said about Uri Caine, a risk taker who has been called everything from ultra-pretentious to a musical visionary. The latter, not the former, is accurate; Caine's jazz/Euro-classical experimentation has had its excesses at times, but dismissing him as pretentious or silly is unwarranted – and his pluses greatly outweigh his minuses.

Guitarist Mark O'Leary is usually classified as an avant garde artist, but his album CLOSURE isn't as far out as one might expect. The trio date, which includes drummer Ben Perowsky and pianist Uri Caine, is melodic and accessible, recalling some of the jazz-rock fusion projects of the 1970s. But this is not to say CLOSURE is safe and predictable. Caine, Perowsky, and O'Leary demonstrate a taut, mercurial interplay that favors subtle, complex invention over in-your-face skronk.Vigorously recommended ;)