Uri Caine: Gustav Mahler / Uri Caine: Urlicht / Primal Light

Avant Jazz / Free Improvisation / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 1997-11-09
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: Ecopackowe etui
opis:
artrock.pl
Do płyt nagranych na zasadzie „przerabiamy klasykę na (tu wstaw nazwę dowolnego stylu muzyki rozrywkowej)” stosunek mam dość ambiwalentny. Bo też i rozrzut jakościowy jest tu olbrzymi: z jednej strony Miles genialnie przerabiający fragment „Concierto de Aranjuez” na orkiestrowy jazz, z drugiej projekty typu „gramy Chopina na rockowo”, akademickie, sztywne płyty Keitha Jarretta grającego Mozarta i koszmarki (zwłaszcza na żywo) Jacquesa Loussiera. Pochodzący z Filadelfii pianista Uri Caine lokuje się zdecydowanie bliżej Milesowskiej strony tego muzycznego spektrum. Dodatkowo na płycie „Primal Light” Caine prezentuje dość nieortodoksyjne podejście do muzyki Gustava Mahlera: wybiera z jego dzieł (oprócz fragmentów I, II i V Symfonii także fragmenty „Cudownego rogu chłopca”, „Pieśni na śmierć dzieci” i „Pieśni z Ziemi”) nierzadko pojedyncze wątki, melodie, stylizacje ukryte gdzieś w licznych warstwach orkiestrowego dźwięku i ubiera je w nowe brzmienia: fortepian, klasyczna sekcja, instrumenty dęte, ale też elektronika, elektryczna gitara, talerze, smyczki…
Zaczyna się od stopniowo narastającego fortepianowego wstępu. A potem… Caine wziął na warsztat fragment V Symfonii, lekko go zmodyfikował i nagle wychodzi z tego chasydzki taniec. Z prowadzącymi melodię uroczymi skrzypkami. Z co i rusz powracającym hejnałem trąbki. „Der Tambourgs’sell” zaczyna się kanonadą perkusji i mocnymi akordami fortepianu, z których nieoczekiwanie wyłania się żydowska pieśń religijna na niespokojnym podkładzie perkusjonaliów. I taki przekładaniec będzie już do końca. „Nun will die Sonn so hell aufgehn” to stonowana partia fortepianu plus klarnet i elektroniczne przeszkadzajki gdzieś w tle. „Off denk’ ich się sind nur ausgegangen!” to z kolei jakby nieco knajpiana ballada z nostalgiczną wokalizą i zgrabnym solem fortepianu. We fragmencie „Symfonii nr.1” podkreślono rytm całości, dzięki czemu powstał specyficzny marsz. Z nastrojem niczym z jakiegoś filmu grozy. Za sprawą partii dęciaków uzupełniających kroczący rytm i klastery fortepianu, jest w tym coś z nowoorleańskiej procesji pogrzebowej. W pewnym momencie całość przyspiesza, wchodzi wręcz na taneczne obroty, także za sprawą zgrabnego duetu trąbki i skrzypiec. Całość w pewnym momencie skręca na tereny muzyki awangardowej, za sprawą dużego zagęszczenia warstwy muzycznej i agresywnych akordów fortepianu, po czym znów powracają taneczne motywy i marszowy rytm ze wstępu. Fragment „Symfonii nr.2” to z kolei bardzo melodyjny, klimatyczny duet nieco burdonowo grających dęciaków i wirtuozerskich popisów skrzypiec. Kolejny fragment „Symfonii nr.2” zaczyna się wręcz jak klasyczny jazz (fortepian + bębny + kontrabas) i tak też się kończy - w środek natomiast, oprócz fortepianowej solówki, wklejono wstawkę z marszowym pulsem sekcji, wyeksponowanym kontrabasem i gitarowo-elektronicznymi odlotami. „Adagietto” zbudowane jest na zgrabnej partii fortepianu, na bazie której oparto rozbudowany fragment, o pełnym, prawie bigbandowym brzmieniu. Rozbudowane brzmienie ma też „Der Trunkene im Fruehlig”, gdzie mamy m.in.. Sola fortepianu i puzonu i partie w średnim tempie skontrastowane partią w żywszym tempie. Po zgrabnej, utrzymanej w nieco tanecznym rytmie „Wer hat des Liedlein erdacht” przechodzimy do nagrania finałowego: „Der Abschied” rozpoczyna się dramatyczną pieśnią (modlitwą) z akompaniamentem m.in.. Smyczków, po czym przechodzi w nieco marszowy fragment, z melodią prowadzoną to przez dęciaki, to przez smyczki. Po chwili znów wraca pieśń, po czym całość powoli się wycisza, wieńczona delikatnymi dźwiękami wiolonczeli i fortepianu.
Bardzo ciekawa, wciągająca płyta. Wśród propozycji pt. „przerabiamy klasykę na inne gatunki” na pewno jedna z najciekawszych.
autor: Piotr „Strzyż” Strzyżowski

Editor's Info
Contemporary adaptations of classical compositions are nothing new, as reflected in the countless recordings featuring canned arrangements of favorite works by Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi and other popular composers that flood today's music market. Unfortunately, few contemporary artists are exploring new ways of interpreting the classical canon in a manner that goes beyond simple rhythmic modification.
In early 1995, the New York-based jazz pianist, composer and arranger Uri Caine was approached by German music producer Stefan Winter about adapting the music of Gustav Mahler for a documentary film Stefan Winter's brother Franz directed in 1993 and 1994. Caine was also asked to debut this music during a live performance accompanying a screening of Winter's film at the Knitting Factory with a group consisting of leading members of New York's creative music community. Caine accepted this commission immediately and enthusiastically and for an entire year intensively immersed himself in Mahler's life and music. He poured over scores, searching for themes and fragments he could assemble into new compositions drawing on nearly every style of contemporary music of our age jazz, Latin, fusion, funk, free jazz and New Music. The premiere performance of Caine's work was a critical and popular success and in May 1996, he entered the studio to record Gustav Mahler - Primal Light, a unique and original tribute to one of the most significant composers of our century.
Caine's homage to Mahler, who was born in 1860 and died in 1911, represented a tremendous challenge since the composer's works use established form of harmony and instrumentation to construct extremely personal themes inspired by the tragic events of his life. The complexity of Mahler's psyche and music is actually summed up by a simple sentence contained in a letter he wrote in 1886: "My whole life is just one tremendous yearning." These few words convey in the most compelling manner the tragedy that was Mahler's life. The phrase could also aptly describe the life of the Jewish people and their culture which has been historically linked with tremendous struggles, soul searching, deep grief, tortured loneliness and persecution while also containing a sense of humor often tinged with irony.
It is these elements which infuse Caine's arrangements and adaptations that make his Mahler project so remarkable. To help articulate his vision, the pianist assembled a veritable "Who's Who" of New York's avant garde scene including artists Don Byron (clarinet), Mark Feldman (violin), Dave Binney (saxophones), Danny Blume (guitar and tapes), Josh Roseman (trombone), Dean Bowman (vocals) and Larry Gold (cello) as well as the Jewish cantor Aaron Bensoussan. The performances on the CD cover the complete dynamic spectrum from quietly lyrical quintet passages to bombastic arrangements for large ensemble featuring both free and structured improvisations. "Every piece is another concept," Caine explained. "Some themes are taken note for note from the original while others like "Der Tamboursg'sell" (The Drummer Boy) consist of only a short phrase I took as the foundation upon which I built my own song. Still other sections I wrote are only based on the basic concept of Mahler's original composition."
Caine weds themes from Mahler's First, Second and Fifth Symphonies as well as of "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" ("The Youth's Magic Horn"), "Das Lied von der Erde" ("The Song of the Earth") and the "Kindertotenlieder" ("Songs of the Death of Children") with elements of hard bop, rock, Klezmer, samba, soul and funk. There's a passage from the third movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 1, the "Titan," that Caine turned into a mainstream jazz standard tune that he performs with a trio. Bassist Mike Formanek takes a line from that same section of the "Titan" and turns it into a funky groove accompanied by drummer Joey Baron. "Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht" ("Who Thought Up This Song?") becomes a wonderful duet for Caine and trumpeter Dave Douglas that keeps changing from a waltz to free improvisation and back again. The harmonic structure of Mahler's song "Oft denk' ich, się sind nur ausgegangen!" ("I Often Think They Have Merely Gone Out!") has been transformed into a Bossa Nova over which singer Arto Lindsay recites the lyrics in his own inimitable style
Uri Caine's Gustav Mahler - Primal Light is a modern masterpiece. The 11 tracks on the CD reveal him to be a worthy interpreter, adapter and inheritor of Mahler's legacy who has succeeded in creating a definitive recording that is a confident and original artistic statement full of surprises yet as close to Mahler's original concept as possible. One of the most in demand pianists on the current international scene and an artist equally at home performing everything from modern jazz to traditional jazz to New Music, Uri Caine was born in Philadelphia. He began playing classical piano at age seven but did not display an interest in improvisational music until he was 13 and first heard the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Then Caine immediately fell in love with jazz and began hanging out in Philadelphia jazz clubs listening to and jamming Philly Joe Jones, Hank Mobley, Mickey Roker, Grover Washington and other artists who passed through town instead of staying home and doing his schoolwork.
After graduating from high school, Caine continued his formal musical training at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received several awards for composition, before embarking on a career in jazz. He played piano in the bands of Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Donald Byrd, Lester Bowie, Phil Woods, Max Roach, Rashied Ali and Gary Thomas, among others, gaining invaluable experiences that contributed towards expanding his skills. Caine eventually made the obligatory move to New York where he knew he would find musicians who shared his creative drive and vision and began playing with Anthony Cox, Bob Moses, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Tom Harrell, Don Byron, Ralph Peterson, Kevin Bruce Harris, Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs and others. Caine made his recording debut as a leader in 1992 on Stefan Winter's label JMT Records with the release of Sphere Music, dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk which he followed in 1995 with Toys, dedicated to the music of Herbie Hancock. With Gustav Mahler - Primal Light Caine made his recording debut on the newly created label Winter & Winter.
Original Press Text from CD 1997

muzycy:
Dave Douglas - trumpet
Aaron Ben Soussan - cantor
Don Byron - clarinet
Joey Baron - drums
Uri Caine - piano, keyboards
Mark Feldman - violin
Michel Formanek - acoustic bass
Arto Lindsay - vocals
DJ Olive - turntables, live electronics

utwory:
1. Symphony no.5, Funeral March [5:52]
2. The Drummer boy from "The Boy's Magic Horn" [5:45]
3. Now Will the Sun Rise as Brightly from "Songs of the Death of Children" [1:50]
4. I Often Think They Bave Merely Gone Out! from "Songs ot the Death of Children" [3:33]
5. Symphony no.1 "Titan" 3rd Movement [12:02]
6. Symphony no.2 +Resurrection", Primal Light [2:31]
7. I Went out this Morning over the Countryside from "Songs of a Wayfare" Symphony no.2 "Resurrection", andante moderato [6:54]
8. Symphony no.5, adagietto [10:35]
9. The Drunkard in Spring from "The Song of the Earth" [7:50]
10. Who Thought up this from "The Boy's Magic Horn" [2:36]
11. The Farewell from "The Song of the Earth" [12:59]

total time - 72:49
wydano: 1997
nagrano: Digital recording at Systems Two, Brooklyn, N.Y., USA June 11th - 14th, June 22nd, June 26th, 1996

more info: www.winterandwinter.com
more info2: www.uricaine.com