Siren Uri Caine Trio

• 1Tarshish02:19
• 2Interloper04:19
• 3Siren04:46
• 4Crossbow04:16
• 5Smelly05:16
• 6Succubus04:23
• 7Green Dolphin Street05:52
• 8Foolish Me04:33
• 9Calibrated Thickness02:10
• 10Hazy Lazy Crazy04:31
• 11Free Lunch04:53
• 12Manual Defile04:14
• Total Runtime51:32

Info for Siren

Siren is the first studio recording to feature pianist Uri Caine leading a traditional acoustic trio since 1998's Blue Wail (Winter & Winter). Since then, most of Caine's albums have alternated between radical reinterpretations of the work of revered classical composers like Beethoven, Mozart and Schummann, and the heavily amplified funk excursions of his Bedrock trio with bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Zach Danziger. Stripped down to their basic foundations however, most of Caine's efforts typically revolve around the classic piano trio format. Bassist Drew Gress and drummer Ben Perowsky have been Caine's primary accomplices in this configuration, last documented on Live at the Village Vanguard (Winter & Winter, 2004). Maintaining a semblance of consistency, Perowsky returns for this sublime session, with John Hébert filling the bass chair.

An eclectic artist of catholic taste, Caine is by turns ruminative or animated; his fluid single note runs transition gracefully from hushed filigrees to boisterous arpeggios, leading Hébert and Perowsky through the chromatic progressions and modulating tempos of eleven diverse originals and one classic cover. Working as one, the trio's congenial rapport is suffused with an omnipresent blues feeling that pervades each of their interpretations—from a rapturous cover of 'On Green Dolphin Street' to the impressionistic languor of 'Hazy Lazy Crazy.'

A neo-traditionalist at heart, Caine alludes to his abiding interest in pre-swing styles like ragtime and stride throughout the date—as demonstrated by the cascading intervals of 'Interloper.' Reveling in the joys of unfettered swing, the trio digs deep into the bluesy fatback grooves of 'Crossbow' and the oblique angles of 'Calibrated Thickness' with palpable fervor. They hint at stylistic interests beyond the mainstream, navigating multiple time signatures on the funky 'Tarshish' and ebullient Latin rhythms on 'Manual Defile,' with no piece exceeding six minutes. Each of these compact tunes serves as a self-contained model of brevity, encouraging pointedly concise statements from Caine, Hébert and Perowsky.

Bolstered by astute listening skills, the trio's intimate three-way dialogues offer inventive interpretations of established traditions, the understated stylistic shifts providing a cohesive sensibility to the proceedings. The trio's mastery of dynamics enriches the quality of its harmonious discourse; Hébert's eloquent precision makes him an ideal partner for Perowsky, whose responsive dexterity encourages the leader's full range of expressionism—from the heartbreaking balladry of the introspective 'Foolish Me' to the audacious freeform interludes of 'Free Lunch.' Siren is a welcome return to form for Caine, whose recent endeavors have highlighted his compositional skills more often than his improvisational mettle.

Uri Caine, Piano
John Hébert, Bass
Ben Perowsky, Drums

Recorded live-to-anolog-two-track at Sear Sound, NYC, USA, Septermer 2010.
Recording engineer: Ron Saint Germain
Recording Assistant: Tom Gloady

Analog mastering at Studio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, Germany, April 2011.
Mastering engineer: Philipp Heck

Uri Caine was born in Philadelphia and began studying piano with Bernard Peiffer. He played in bands led by Philly Joe Jones, Hank Mobley,Johnny Coles, Mickey Roker, Odean Pope, Jymmie Merritt, Bootsie Barnes and Grover Washington. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and studied music composition with George Rochberg and George Crumb. Caine has recorded 22 cds as a leader. His most recent cd is a jazz trio, Siren, (Winter and Winter 2011) with John Hebert on bass and Ben Perowsky on drums. He has made cd's featuring his jazz trio, his Bedrock Trio and his ensemble performing arrangements of Mahler, Wagner, Beethoven, Bach and Schumann.

Recently Caine has received commissions from the Vienna Volksoper, The Seattle Chamber Players, Relache, The Beaux Arts Trio, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, Concerto Koln and the American Composers Orchestra. Caine was the Director of the Venice Biennale for Music in September 2003. He has performed his version of the Diabelli Variations with orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the CBC Orchestra in Canada and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. From 2006-2009 he was composer in residence for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and premiered his Concerto for Two Pianos and Chamber Orchestra with Jeffrey Kahane in May 2006. In 2009 he was nominated for a Grammy Award for The Othello Syndrome.

During the past several years, Caine has worked in groups led by Don Byron, Dave Douglas, John Zorn, Terry Gibbs and Buddy DeFranco, Clark Terry, Rashid Ali, Arto Lindsay, Sam Rivers and Barry Altschul, the Woody Herman Band, Annie Ross, the Enja Band, Global Theory and the Master Musicians of Jajouka. He has received grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts , the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pew Foundation. In December, 2010 he was awarded a grant by the USA Artist Fellowships. He has performed at many jazz festivals including The North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival. Monterey Jazz Festival, JVC Festival, San Sebastian Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, as well as classical festivals including The Salzburg Festival, Munich Opera, Holland Festival, Israel Festival, IRCAM, and Great Performers at Lincoln Center. He lives in New York City with his wife, Jan

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