Uri Caine Ensemble - Rhapsody in Blue (2013) [Hi-Res]

The artistic dialogue of Uri Caine with the oeuvre of George Gershwin is overdue. Caine and Gershwin are not only connected by the Jewish East European origin of their families, but also through New York City, the centre of their creative output.

They both draw from the ‚Big Apple’, compose, direct from the piano ground-breaking projects and range between classical music and jazz. Caine chooses Gershwin’s outstanding masterpiece „Rhapsody in Blue“ as the core piece of his new interpretations and fulfills this amazing opus with the spirit of a new path and renewal of jazz, intoxicating rhythms, which have reached the American continent from Africa and not least the melodies that the klesmer played more than hundred years ago in the homeland of their fathers.

The voices Barbara Walker and Theo Bleckmann who sing together 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off' in a touching duet belong to Uri Caine’s ensemble as well as Joyce Hammann on violin, Jim Black on drums and Mark Helias on bass; fantastic musicians who are part of Caine’s close circle since many years. The song 'How Long Has This Been Going On' is presented by Uri Caine as an hommage to the great George Gershwin as a piano solo piece. Caine and Gershwin write and play truthful American music, which conquers the world and inspires.

Uri Caine, piano
Barbara Walker, vocals
Theo Bleckmann, vocals
Joyce Hammann, violin
Mark Helias, bass
Chris Speed, clarinet
Ralph Alessi, trumpet
Jim Black, drums