The Classical Variations

by Uri Caine

Overview

Despite his excesses, pianist/arranger Uri Caine is a musician who commands admiration and respect. His experimentation hasn't always paid off; at times, Caine's work has been audacious for the sake of being audacious. But when you're evaluating a musician, you have to look at the big picture -- and Caine's willingness to take risks has served him well more often than not. It generally serves him well on The Classical Variations, which finds Caine putting his orchestral jazz/classical spin on Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, and other Euro-classical icons. This 72-minute CD offers a combination of previously released recordings (which come from Caine albums that include Diabelli Variations, Love Fugue, and Uri Caine Plays Mozart) and previously released material. Because 11 of the 20 selections were previously released, The Classical Variations shouldn't be considered a best-of; instead, it is an album that uses both new and old recordings in service of the variations theme. And while some consumers might object to paying for a CD that isn't a true best-of yet only contains about 55 percent new material, The Classical Variations nonetheless has a lot going for it. Jazz and Euro-classical are the disc's primary influences, but Caine incorporates everything from Jewish klezmer to hip-hop. Some jazz snobs and classical snobs will cry foul, insisting that the influence of hip-hop has no place on an album that has anything to do with either jazz or classical. But then, Caine has never worried about offending purists of either the jazz variety or the classical variety -- and even though The Classical Variations can be self-indulgent at times, the disc nonetheless gives listeners many reasons to think highly of his artistry. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	03/11/2008
Label:	Winter & Winter
UPC:	0025091014521
Rank:	224052

Tracks

1. Only Love Beauty (after Mahler)
2. Diabelli Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & orchestra (after Beethoven)~Variation XXXII
3. Diabelli Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & orchestra (after Beethoven)~Variation XXXIII
4. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~Variation 10 for Fortepiano and Viola Da Gamba Quartet
5. Dichterliebe (after Schumann), for voices & ensemble~H¿¿r' ich das Liedchen klingen (When I Hear the Song)
6. Dichterliebe (after Schumann), for voices & ensemble~Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube (The Rose, the Lily, the Dove)
7. Dichterliebe (after Schumann), for voices & ensemble~Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen (This Glowing Summer Morning)
8. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~The Midnight Variation
9. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~The Brass and Drums Variation
10. Prelude for piano & jazz ensemble (after the Prelude from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde)
11. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~The Scratch Variation
12. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~The Fats Variation
13. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~Variation for Lute and Clarinet
14. Urlicht Primal Light, for jazz ensemble (after Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection")
15. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~Variation 27 for Lute and Flute
16. Desdemona's Lament, song for voice & jazz ensemble (after Verdi's Otello)
17. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~The Organ Variation
18. Goldberg Variations, arrangement and improvisations for piano & jazz ensemble (after Bach)~Variation 22 for Fortepiano and Viola da Gamba Quartet
19. Turkish Rondo, for piano & jazz ensemble (after Mozart's Piano Sonata, K. 331)
20. Adagietto, for piano, turntables & jazz ensemble (after Mahler's Symphony No. 5)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Uri Caine   Primary Artist,Fortepiano,Piano
Don Byron   Guest Artist,Clarinet
Greg Osby   Guest Artist,Sax (Alto)
Nguyen Le   Guest Artist,Guitar
DJ Logic   Guest Artist,Turntables
Ralph Peterson   Guest Artist,Drums
David Binney   Sax (Soprano),Sax (Alto)
John Hebert   Bass
Mark Feldman   Violin
David Moss   Vocals
Chris Speed   Clarinet
Dominic Cortese   Accordion
Wolfgang Klaesener   Conductor
Cordula Breuer   Recorder (Soprano)
Rodney Prada   Tenor Viola
Michael Freimuth   Lute
Kettwiger Bach-Ensemble   Choir/Chorus
Cristiano Contadin   Bass Viol
Concerto Koeln   Ensemble
Paolo Biordi   Soprano Viola
Josefine Lindstrand   Vocals
Mark Ledford   Vocals,Vocals
Vittorio Ghielmi   Bass Viol
Bob Stewart   Tuba
Barbara Walker   Vocals
James Genus   Bass
Erik Friedlander   Cello
Michael Formanek   Bass
Drew Gress   Bass
DJ Olive   Turntables
Joyce Hammann   Violin
David Gilmore   Guitar
Ralph Alessi   Trumpet
Jim Black   Drums
Josh Roseman   Trombone

Technical Credits

Lori Lorenzen   Mastering Engineer
Julie Patton   Text
Julie Paton   Text
Mariko Takahashi   Executive Producer
Shulamith Wechter Caine   Text
Jan Caine   Photography
Stefan Winter   Producer,Executive Producer
Uri Caine   Composer