Uri Caine's Mahler Circus
We music geeks all seem to carry around in our heads a mental list of our "Top 10 Albums ever". Every so often, you discover a new piece of art that is a serious contender to knock one of those well-loved records into 11th position. When I first heard pianist Uri Caine's urlicht/primal light a few weeks ago, I was completely blown away. It is awesome.
urlicht/primal light features recordings of Uri Caine's (re)arrangements of the music of Mahler, played by a solid crew of Downtown New York musicians - Dave Douglas (tp), Don Byron (cl), Michael Formanek (b), Mark Feldman (vl), among others. Under Caine's guidance, Mahler's music rediscovers much of its frankly Jewish roots, (as a composer/conductor in fin-de-siècle Austria-Hungary, Mahler had to renounce his Jewish faith in order to find employment). The overall effect is stunning.
If you thought the jazz artist's capacity for reinventing European classical music ended with Jacques Loussier's Play Bach series, go out and buy this album today.
Uri Caine - Symphony no.5, Funeral March
From urlicht/primal light: Winter and Winter 910 004-2 [Buy]
urlicht/primal light features recordings of Uri Caine's (re)arrangements of the music of Mahler, played by a solid crew of Downtown New York musicians - Dave Douglas (tp), Don Byron (cl), Michael Formanek (b), Mark Feldman (vl), among others. Under Caine's guidance, Mahler's music rediscovers much of its frankly Jewish roots, (as a composer/conductor in fin-de-siècle Austria-Hungary, Mahler had to renounce his Jewish faith in order to find employment). The overall effect is stunning.
Since the release of this album in 1997, Uri Caine has gone on to mess with the sacred rubiks cubes of several other European classical composers - Bach, Schumann and Wagner among them. I'm going to have to seek out these discs too...
If you thought the jazz artist's capacity for reinventing European classical music ended with Jacques Loussier's Play Bach series, go out and buy this album today.
Uri Caine - Symphony no.5, Funeral March
From urlicht/primal light: Winter and Winter 910 004-2 [Buy]
Uri Caine
In other news, ECM founder Manfred Eicher is interviewed in Le Monde (in French), blogs take over the world, the new episodes of Family Guy start on TV in New Zealand tomorrow night, and Rushan has arrived safely in Exeter, NH.
In other news, ECM founder Manfred Eicher is interviewed in Le Monde (in French), blogs take over the world, the new episodes of Family Guy start on TV in New Zealand tomorrow night, and Rushan has arrived safely in Exeter, NH.
posted by etnobofin @ 19:05
3 Comments:
At 3:03 PM,
DJ durutti said…
Hey great post! i love all of Uri's stuff and have been meaning to check out this album. which reminds me . . . i've also been meanin' to do a Philadelphia Experiment post for some time. Are you familiar w/ that project? -- great jazz funk trio on rope-a-dope. inlcude's Christain McBride & Questlove (from the Roots)-- all phrom philly!
At 8:34 AM,
etnobofin said…
I heard Uri Caine live a few years back when he came to NZ with the Dave Douglas quintet (now THAT was a mother of a band). Uri played great, (on Rhodes the whole gig), and this Mahler stuff has raised my estimation further.
Dunno anything about the Philadelphia Project, I daresay some of my more groove-oriented mates will have. Sounds really interesting. The Roots seem to manage a tour to NZ every year (and that's saying something), they get MASSIVE crowds. And I've seen a few interviews with ?uestlove and he sure knows what he's on about. A true musician's musician.
Peace
At 5:10 PM,
DJ durutti said…
I saw that same Douglas band in Boston -- incredible gig (I got chance for brief conversation w/ douglas b/f the show). I'll do a Philly Experiment post b/f too long (but after Zappa!)
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