Uri Caine | |
|---|---|
 Photo by Simon Miele | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 8 June 1956 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
Uri Caine (born June 8, 1956) is an American classical and jazz pianist and composer from Philadelphia.
The son of Burton Caine (1928-2023), a professor at Temple Law School, [1] and poet Shulamith Wechter Caine, [2] Caine began playing piano at seven and studied with French jazz pianist Bernard Peiffer at 12. [3] He later studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where he came under the tutelage of George Crumb. He also gained a greater familiarity with classical music in this period and worked at clubs in Philadelphia.
Caine played professionally after 1981, and by 1985 had his recording debut with the Rochester-Gerald Veasley band. In the 1980s, he moved to New York City, where he continues to live. His solo recording debut was in 1992. He also appeared on a klezmer album (Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz, 1993) [4] and other recordings with modern jazz musicians Don Byron and Dave Douglas, among many others. [5]
Caine has recorded 16 mostly classical albums. His 1997 jazz tribute to Gustav Mahler received an award from the German Mahler Society, while outraging some jury members. [6] [7] Caine has also reworked Bach's Goldberg Variations , Beethoven's Diabelli Variations , as well as music by Wagner, Schumann and Mozart.
He was Composer-in-Residence of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra from 2005-2009. He became a United States Artists Fellow in 2010. [8]
In 2012 he performed with the Armenian State Chamber Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia, [9] and, in 2013-2014, was Composer-in-Residence at Mannes College.
In 2019, Caine released an oratorio on the life and death of Octavius Catto. [10]
In 2001, he teamed up with drummer Zach Danziger to conceive an original project fusing live jungle and drum 'n' bass beats with fusion jazz called "Uri Caine Bedrock 3". They have toured worldwide, including with the New York-based DJ Olive.
Also in 2001, he released with drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots and Christian McBride an album called The Philadelphia Experiment which contains jazz, funk, instrumental hip hop and jazz fusion. This album was produced by Aaron Levinson and features collaborations such as Pat Martino on guitar and Jon Swana on trumpet.
In 2006, he recorded an album of composition from John Zorn's second Masada book called Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6 . In November 2012, Caine collaborated with drummer Han Bennink to release a live album entitled Sonic Boom. [11] In 2008 he was special guest of the Italian jazz awards red carpet show in Genoa (Italy) at Teatro di Sant'Agostino. [12]
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Sphere Music | JMT | With Anthony Cox and Kenny Davis (bass; separately), Ralph Peterson, Jr., (drums), Graham Haynes (cornet), Don Byron (clarinet), Gary Thomas (tenor sax) |
| 1995 | Toys | With Dave Douglas (trumpet), Don Byron (bass clarinet), Josh Roseman (trombone), Gary Thomas (tenor sax, flute), Dave Holland (bass), Ralph Peterson, Jr. (drums), Don Alias (percussion) | |
| 1996 | Urlicht / Primal Light | Winter & Winter | With Dave Douglas (trumpet), Josh Roseman (trombone), Dave Binney (soprano sax), Don Byron (clarinet), Mark Feldman (violin), Larry Gold (cello), Danny Blume (guitar, electronics), DJ Olive (turntables), Michael Formanek (bass), Joey Baron (drums), Aaron Bensoussan (hand drum, cantor), Arto Lindsay and Dean Bowman (vocals) |
| 1997 | Wagner e Venezia | With Dominic Cortese (accordion), Mark Feldman and Joyce Hammann (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello), Drew Gress (bass) | |
| 1997 | Blue Wail | Trio, with James Genus (bass), Ralph Peterson, Jr. (drums) | |
| 1998 | Gustav Mahler in Toblach | With Ralph Alessi (trumpet), David Binney (alto sax), Mark Feldman (violin), Aaron Bensoussan (oud, vocals), DJ Olive (turntables, electronics), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) | |
| 1999 | The Sidewalks of New York: Tin Pan Alley | Bob DeBellis (flute), Ralph Alessi and Dave Douglas (trumpet; separately), Josh Roseman (trombone), Bob Stewart (tuba), Don Byron (clarinet), Dominic Cortese (accordion, vocals), Mark Feldman (violin), Eddy Davis (banjo), James Genus (bass), Ben Perowsky (drums), various vocalists | |
| 1999–2000 | The Goldberg Variations | With various | |
| 2000 | Love Fugue: Robert Schumann | With David Gilmore (guitar), Stefano Barneschi (violin), Marco Bianchi (viola), Paolo Beschi (cello), Federica Valli (fortepiano), David Moss and Mark Ledford (vocals; separately), Julie Patton and Shulamith Wechter Caine (recitation; separately) Mariko Takahashi (narration) | |
| 2000 | The Philadelphia Experiment | Ropeadope | With Christian McBride (electric bass, acoustic bass), Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (drums); Pat Martino (electric guitar), John Swana (trumpet), Larry Gold (cello) added on some tracks |
| 2000 | Solitaire | Winter & Winter | Solo piano |
| 2001 | Bedrock 3 | With Tim Lefebvre (bass), Zach Danziger (drums); DJ Logic (turntables), Jessie System and Pete Davenport (vocals) added on some tracks | |
| 2001 | Rio | With various | |
| 2002 | Diabelli Variations | With Concerto Köln | |
| 2003 | Gustav Mahler: Dark Flame | With various | |
| 2003 | Live at the Village Vanguard | Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Ben Perowsky (drums); in concert | |
| 2005 | Shelf-Life | As Bedrock; trio, with Tim Lefebvre (bass, guitar), Zach Danziger (drums, percussion); various guests added on some tracks | |
| 2005 | Things | Blue Note | Duo, with Paolo Fresu (trumpet, flugelhorn, effects) |
| 2006 | Uri Caine Ensemble Plays Mozart | Winter & Winter | With Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Chris Speed (clarinet), Joyce Hammann (violin), Nguyên Lê (guitar), DJ Olive (turntables), Drew Gress (double bass), Jim Black (drums) |
| 2006 | Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6 | Tzadik | Solo piano |
| 2007? | The Classical Variations | Winter & Winter | |
| 2007? | Pure Affection | Alessa | Duo, co-led with Gust Tsilis |
| 2008 | The Othello Syndrome | Winter & Winter | With Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Achille Succi and Chris Speed (clarinet), Joyce Hammann (violin), Nguyên Lê (guitar), Tim Lefebvre (bass, electric bass), John Hebert (bass), Jim Black and Zach Danziger (drums), Bruno Fabrizio Sorba and Stefano Bassanese (electronics), Bunny Sigler, Dhafer Youssef, Josefine Lindstrand, Julie Patton, Marco Paolini and Sadiq Bey (vocals) |
| 2008 | Secrets | Tzadik | Quartet, co-led with Mark Feldman (violin), Greg Cohen (bass), Joey Baron (drums) |
| 2009? | Think | Blue Note | with Paolo Fresu & Alborada String Quartet |
| 2009 | Plastic Temptation | Winter & Winter | As Bedrock, with Tim Lefebvre (bass, guitar), Zach Danziger (drums), Elizabeth Pupo-Walker (percussion), Barbara Walker (vocals) |
| 2010? | Twelve Caprices | with Arditti String Quartet | |
| 2010 | Sonic Boom | 816 | Duo, co-led with Han Bennink (drums); in concert |
| 2011? | Siren | Winter & Winter | Trio, with John Hébert (bass), Ben Perowsky (drums) |
| 2012 | Rhapsody in Blue | With Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Jim Black (drums), Theo Bleckmann (vocals), Joyce Hammann (violin), Mark Helias (bass), Chris Speed (clarinet, tenor sax), Barbara Walker (vocals) | |
| 2012 | Callithump | Solo piano | |
| 2013 | Present Joys | Greenleaf | Duo, co-led with Dave Douglas (trumpet) |
| 2017? | Two Minuettos | Tŭk | Duo, co-led with Paolo Fresu (trumpet, flugelhorn, effects) |
With Don Byron
With Dave Douglas
With Forma Antiqva
With Frank London
With Zohar
With John Zorn
John Zorn is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". His avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jazz, rock, hardcore, classical, contemporary, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, and world music. Rolling Stone noted that "[alt]hough Zorn has operated almost entirely outside the mainstream, he's gradually asserted himself as one of the most influential musicians of our time".
Marc Ribot is an American guitarist and composer.
Masada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.
Dave Douglas is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and educator. His career includes more than fifty recordings as a leader and more than 500 published compositions. His ensembles include the Dave Douglas Quintet; Sound Prints, a quintet co-led with saxophonist Joe Lovano; Uplift, a sextet with bassist Bill Laswell; Present Joys with pianist Uri Caine and Andrew Cyrille; High Risk, an electronic ensemble with Shigeto, Jonathan Aaron, and Ian Chang; and Engage, a sextet with Jeff Parker, Tomeka Reid, Anna Webber, Nick Dunston, and Kate Gentile.
Bernard Joseph Baron is an American drummer best-known for working in avant-garde jazz with Bill Frisell and John Zorn.
Donald Byron is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet but has also played bass clarinet and saxophone in a variety of genres that includes free jazz and klezmer.
Greg Cohen is an American jazz bassist who has been a member of John Zorn's Masada quartet and worked with numerous other noted musicians for over four decades.
Mark Feldman is an American jazz violinist.
Daniel Zamir is an Israeli saxophonist and singer. Having started on alto saxophone, Zamir is mainly known for his soprano playing.
Julian Lage is an American guitarist and composer.
Sylvie Courvoisier is a composer, pianist, improviser and bandleader. She was born and raised in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has been a resident of New York City since 1998. She won Germany’s International Jazz Piano Prize in 2022 and was named Pianist of the Year for 2023 in the international critics poll of Spanish jazz publication El Intruso. NPR’s Kevin Whitehead has encapsulated the distinctive character of Courvoisier’s art this way: “Some pianists approach the instrument like it’s a cathedral. Sylvie Courvoisier treats it like a playground.”
Drew Gress is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in the Philadelphia area.
Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6 is an album by Uri Caine performing compositions from John Zorn's second Masada book, "The Book of Angels".
Josh Roseman is an American jazz trombonist. His nickname is "Mr. Bone". He studied in Newton North High School.
Ben Perowsky is an American drummer, percussionist, composer, and music producer. He is the drummer on stage in the 8 TONY award winning Broadway musical Hadestown. Perowsky leads the Ben Perowsky Trio, Moodswing Orchestra and Upstream Trio with Chris Speed and John Medeski. He is a founding member of the electric jazz group Lost Tribe. A prolific sideman, Perowsky has performed with Roy Ayers, John Scofield, The Lounge Lizards, Joan As Police Woman, Elysian Fields, Darryl Jenifer, Uri Caine, Dave Douglas, Mike Stern, Bob Berg, Walter Becker, Steven Bernstein., and John Zorn.
Tzadik is a record label in New York City that specializes in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995. He is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases. Tzadik is a not-for-profit, cooperative record label.
Stolas: Book of Angels Volume 12 is an album by the Masada Quintet featuring Joe Lovano performing compositions from John Zorn's Masada Book Two. This is the first known recording by the Masada Quintet.
Secrets is an album by violinist Mark Feldman, pianist Uri Caine, bassist Greg Cohen and drummer Joey Baron performing traditional Hassidic spiritual themes which was released on the Tzadik label in 2009.
Urlicht / Primal Light is an album by pianist Uri Caine featuring compositions by Gustav Mahler recorded in 1996 and released on the Winter & Winter label in 1997.
Flaga: Book of Angels Volume 27 is an album by pianist Craig Taborn, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Tyshawn Sorey which was released in 2016 on John Zorn's Tzadik Records as part of the Zorn's Book of Angels Series.
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