Uri Caine
Encyclopedia
Uri Caine is an American classical and jazz
pianist
and composer
.
, Caine began playing piano at seven and studied with French jazz pianist Bernard Peiffer
at 12. 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.
band. In the 1980s, he moved to New York City
, where he lives now. He also appeared on a klezmer
album with Mickey Katz
and played with modern jazz musicians Don Byron
and Dave Douglas
.
received an award from the German Mahler Society, while outraging some jury members. Caine has also reworked Bach
's Goldberg Variations
, Beethoven's Diabelli Variations
, as well as Wagner
, Schumann
and Mozart.
.
Also in 2001, he released with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (drum player with internationally acclaimed hip hop band The Roots
), and Christian McBride
an eclectic 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 2005, Caine was named Composer-in-Residence of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
through the 2008–2009 season.
In 2006, he recorded an album of composition from John Zorn
's second Masada
book called Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6
.
The 28 February 2008 was the special guest of the Italian jazz awards
red carpet show in Genoa (Italy) at Teatro della Tosse.
In 2010, he was named a United States Artists
Fellow and awarded an unrestricted grant.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Early years
The son of Burton Caine, a professor at Temple Law SchoolTemple University Beasley School of Law
The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Temple University. Informally referred to as Temple Law School, the school is located at the Main Campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Temple University James E...
, Caine began playing piano at seven and studied with French jazz pianist Bernard Peiffer
Bernard Peiffer
Bernard Peiffer was a French jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. His nickname was "Le Most", for his piano skills.-Life:...
at 12. He later studied at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
where he came under the tutelage of George Crumb
George Crumb
George Crumb is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He is noted as an explorer of unusual timbres, alternative forms of notation, and extended instrumental and vocal techniques. Examples include seagull effect for the cello , metallic vibrato for the piano George Crumb (born...
. He also gained a greater familiarity with classical music in this period and worked at clubs in Philadelphia.
Recording debut
He played professionally after 1981, and by 1985 had his recording debut with the Rochester-Gerald VeasleyGerald Veasley
Gerald Veasley is an American jazz bass guitarist.Veasley was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he played in R&B groups as a teenager. He worked with Joe Zawinul from 1988 to 1995, and began releasing his own records in 1992. He has also done extensive work as a studio musician....
band. In the 1980s, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he lives now. He also appeared on a klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
album with Mickey Katz
Mickey Katz
Mickey Katz , was an American comedian and musician who specialized in Jewish humor. He was the father of actor Joel Grey and grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey.-Family:...
and played with modern jazz musicians Don Byron
Don Byron
Don Byron is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet, but has also used bass clarinet and saxophones....
and Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas (trumpeter)
Dave Douglas is an American jazz trumpeter and composer whose music derives from many non-jazz musical styles, including classical music, folk music from European countries and Klezmer. He has been a member of the experimental big band Orange Then Blue...
.
Classical repertoire
Caine, who has recorded 16 albums, is celebrated for his eclectic and inventive interpretations of the classical repertoire. His 1997 jazz tribute to Gustav MahlerGustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
received an award from the German Mahler Society, while outraging some jury members. Caine has also reworked Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's Goldberg Variations
Goldberg Variations
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form...
, Beethoven's Diabelli Variations
Diabelli Variations
The 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120, commonly known as the Diabelli Variations, is a set of variations for the piano written between 1819 and 1823 by Ludwig van Beethoven on a waltz composed by Anton Diabelli...
, as well as Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
and Mozart.
The Bedrock Project and other collaborations
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 a New York-based DJ named DJ OliveDJ Olive
DJ Olive is an American disc jockey and turntablist active in free improvisation, jazz and illbient music. He is often credited with coining the latter term....
.
Also in 2001, he released with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (drum player with internationally acclaimed hip hop band The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
), and Christian McBride
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
an eclectic album called The Philadelphia Experiment
The Philadelphia Experiment (album)
The Philadelphia Experiment is the self-titled album resulting from a collaborative project including Uri Caine , Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Christian McBride...
which contains jazz, funk, instrumental hip hop and jazz fusion. This album was produced by Aaron Levinson
Aaron Levinson
Aaron Levinson is a veteran record label owner and producer with a background as a musician and composer. He has produced and/or released nearly two dozen albums.-Career:...
and features collaborations such as Pat Martino
Pat Martino
Pat Martino is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, fusion, mainstream jazz, soul jazz and hard bop idioms.-Biography:...
on guitar and Jon Swana on trumpet.
In 2005, Caine was named Composer-in-Residence of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is a 40-member American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, considered by music critic Jim Svejda as "America's finest chamber orchestra".-History:...
through the 2008–2009 season.
In 2006, he recorded an album of composition from John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
's second Masada
Masada (band)
Masada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
book called Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6
Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6
- Track listing :# Rimmon - 4:45# Lomiel - 3:56# Kebriel - 4:32# Savliel - 2:25# Tufrial - 4:04# Jerazol - 3:41# Harshiel - 3:34# Lumah - 3:14# Harviel - 5:01# Segef - 1:59# Sabriel - 4:59# Shokad - 2:56# Zophiel - 5:01# Hayyoth - 2:31# Nuriel - 5:51...
.
The 28 February 2008 was the special guest of the Italian jazz awards
Italian Jazz Awards
The Italian Jazz Awards are an independent musical review created in 2006 by Andrea Causi and managed by the ACM in collaboration with the American Management Agency. The purpose of the IJA is to reward the best Italian Jazz Musicians, chosen by an Artistic Board and voted on by the audience on...
red carpet show in Genoa (Italy) at Teatro della Tosse.
In 2010, he was named a United States Artists
United States Artists
United States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
Fellow and awarded an unrestricted grant.
Discography
- Sphere Music (1992)
- Toys (1995)
- Blue Wail (1997)
- Nigunim (1998)
- Urlicht/Primal Light (1998)
- Keter (1999)
- Blue Wail (1999)
- Sidewalks Of New York: Tin Pan Alley (1999)
- Gustav Mahler In Toblach: I Went Out This Morning Over The Countryside (1999)
- Love Fugue Robert Schumann (2000)
- Goldberg Variations (2000)
- The Philadelphia ExperimentThe Philadelphia Experiment (album)The Philadelphia Experiment is the self-titled album resulting from a collaborative project including Uri Caine , Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Christian McBride...
(2001) - Bedrock 3 (2001)
- Solitaire (2002)
- Rio (2002)
- Diabelli Variations (Ludwig Van Beethoven) (2003)
- Gustav Mahler: Dark Flame (2004)
- Live at the Village VanguardLive at the Village Vanguard (Uri Caine Trio album)Live at the Village Vanguard is a 2004 album by jazz pianist Uri Caine as Uri Caine Trio.-Track listing:# "Nefertiti" – 9:03# "All the Way" – 5:21# "Stiletto" – 7:38...
(2004) - Shelf-Life Bedrock (2005)
- Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6- Track listing :# Rimmon - 4:45# Lomiel - 3:56# Kebriel - 4:32# Savliel - 2:25# Tufrial - 4:04# Jerazol - 3:41# Harshiel - 3:34# Lumah - 3:14# Harviel - 5:01# Segef - 1:59# Sabriel - 4:59# Shokad - 2:56# Zophiel - 5:01# Hayyoth - 2:31# Nuriel - 5:51...
(2006) - Things (with Paolo Fresu) (2006)
- Plays Mozart (2006)
- Classical Variations (2007)
- The Othello Syndrome (2008)
- Bedrock { Plastic Temptation (2009)