ecarroll

Uri Caine, you ask? Not Bud Herseth? Håkan Hardenberger? Maurice André? (insert icon here)

No, Uri Caine. I've been saving this article for a few years with an eye towards using it to discuss music that crosses (or challenges) commonly perceived boundaries.

Please take a look at http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrech...-uricaine.html and tell me if you've heard Mr. Caine live (I have), own any of his Winter&Winter recordings (I do), or think that he is violating the art of Mahler, Wagner, and others by re-interpreting it in his very individual fashion.

Also, please note that Uri Caine was appointed music director of the highly esteemed Bienalle di Venezia in 2003 (the theme of his directorship was "the relationships between the cultivated Western tradition and jazz, between avant-garde movements, and stylistic and genre overlays"). The late Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, Claudio Abbado, the Salzburger Festspiele, and Milano's Teatro La Scala have all been paying careful attention to his music.

To satisfy your inner geek, Mr. Caine's trumpeters are most often Dave Douglas and/or Ralph Alessi.

Talk with you soon,
EC

"Two people making the same kind of music is one music too many."
-John Cage

wiseone2

I am going to a few of the FONT festival concerts, I expect to see Dave.
I will probably play in the Morris "Conduction"

http://www.fontmusic.org/

Are you going to play this year?

Wilmer

ecarroll

Hi Wilmer,

Thanks for being first to join what I'm sure will be a short (but very exclusive?) queue here. I hope that it doesn't turn too quickly into a rant about Steve Bartman (a.k.a. He Who Shall Not Be Named)!

Jon probably heard enough of me (.25 tone flügelhorn) last year to be asked back to FONT. This one looks very interesting though, and I'll drop most anything to do it again. The vibe was terrific.

Again my thanks,
EC

TrentAustin

I absolutely love those Mahler albums... I dig the fact that he chooses this material especially. Mahler is my absolute favorite classical composer, and why not try to say something different. I think the music is fresh and exciting. His instrumentation makes me think of what some local "pub" bands in Mahler's time might have been jamming to!

Imagine if we could have recordings of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc improvising! That would really change the perceptions of a great many people IMO.

Did I mention the fact I love both Dave Douglas and Ralph Alessi (who can sure play a mean intro to Mahler 5, btw...)


Best,

T

CGUM

Ciao Ed,

I just picked up the album while strolling the streets of "gotham". Very cool stuff. It's funny how scholastic the classical world is. Scholastic in the sense that there is such strict order and sense of tradition. Why can't someone use classical melodies and pieces the way a jazz standard is used? Why is classical literature so sacred?

Alot to think about...
On lighter note checked out Dave Douglas at FONT. They did all new music from his upcoming release. Very very cool. There was alot going on it was firey, playful maybe even a little aggresive. If anyone gets to check out his upcoming tour check it out.

CG

ebtromba

Thanks for the article. Never heard of the guy. I'll keep my eye out for him.

josephus07

Anybody have anything more to add to this?

Uri Caine and Dave Douglas (and others) will be playing in Houston on Feb. 10 and in Austin on Feb 11.

If anyone is going to go to the Austin concert, let me know, I'm planning on making the drive down there, we can grab dinner or something (or eat a Supermonster from Freebirds - you know, the, "...mmm...owww...oh, I shouldn't have done that" burrito).