Customer Reviews

Mahler: Urlicht - Primal Light / Caine, Bensoussan, et al.

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Gustav Mahler described himself as "thrice homeless: as a Bohemian among Germans, as a German in Austria, and as a jew throughout the world." While that may have summed up Mahler well at the end of the 19th century, at the end of the 20th, we call that kind of thing "multicultural," and see it as a strength. Uri Caine recognizes that strength, and his renditions of Mahler's music reveal the roots of the composer's style, in the waltzes and marches of his native Bohemia, in Jewish klezmer music, in the chanting of kantors, as well as the art-music ambience of Vienna. Caine and his outstanding band (special kudos to Don Byron's clarinet in particular) provide a window into Mahler's music that illuminates it even as it distorts it. If you really know your Mahler, you'll find this recording a revelation. Moreover, you'll never again be able to listen to the Mahler 5th, for example, without hearing the klezmer elements in the 2nd theme. And the fact that one of the "Songs of a Wayfarer" works perfectly as breezy tune that might have been penned by Chick Corea implies how far Mahler's influence reaches into the 20th century. As a Mahler afficianado, I adored this; but I suspect that friends who don't know Mahler's work, but who like John Zorn and Carla Bley, are going to dig this as well. Call it Post-Modern, call it an outrage, call it a gas! (And the packaging is as beautiful as the tunes.)

Well, we seem to have a bit of a disagreement below. I hope that I may be able to clarify for those considering this purchase. I am an enthusiastic, if a bit less than fully obsessed, Mahlerite, as well as being a longtime jazzophile. I am also quite skeptical in general of jazz treatments of classical themes; they tend either to be overly reverential (which doesn't prevent their being mediocre) or to simplify the source music (for easier improvisation) to the point where one must question the use of the theme at all. This, to my mind, is an exception. But you must bear that what I like is not always, or even often, what most enthusiasts of jazz OR classical music tend to like. (I'm not inordinately discriminating in my aesthetic judgments, just fussy.) I would venture to suggest that Mahlerians with little interest in jazz would be quite horrified by this recording (as indeed an acquaintance of mine was.) Further, I'd say that fans of contemporary jazz, especially the "downtown" scenesters -- Zorn, Douglas, et al. -- will love this regardless of their taste for classical music. And, as one reviewer noted below, even those who consider Mahler to be an old bloat, but who like challenging jazz, will probably admire this disc. And is Uri Caine one of the most interesting jazz pianists (and arrangers) in decades, or what? His Wagner CD is extraordinary, too, although similar cautions to those cited above (and below) apply.

This is the story i was told when buying this record, it's been many years so this is as close as i could remember it:

"There is an annual competition where orchestras from all over the world come together to perform Mahler pieces. It's been going many many years... then along came Uri Caine. His orchestra included Cantors (jewish religious singers) and a cacophony of other messy instruments and ideas to perform with. They won to competition to the horror of stuffy stuck-up Mahler purists the world over.. How could this horrible mess win over all ther other very traditional (very similar and boring) performances!? Uri Caine's orchestra has continued to win every year since. Why? Because Uri's interpretation gives a fuller understanding of Gustav Mahlers background, his roots, he brings so much life to the music."

So then i actually listened to the music myself and it was breathtaking, funny, it told stories, it had personality, it was bursting at the seams with new ideas.

I listen to all kinds of music, but rarely jazz and rarely classical. I was not familiar with Uri Caine or Gustav Mahler, but after hearing that story, then listening for myself i had to have this cd. And while often my purchases are terrible mistakes, this one was a resounding success. This cd is my most treasured.

I am a Mahler fan - and I don't like jazz! So I was rather nervous at listening to this first time around. But I found it simply stunning. The resurrection symphony slow movement, complete with screeching solo violin emulating a searingly distorted electric guitar was, in fact, profoundly moving. And the sheer musicianship of the performers, in the more sensitive sections earned my utmost respect. This album is shocking, unbearable, gripping, lighthearted, exciting, mocking, reverential, tender - everything Mahler was. Fantastic buy!

On his 1997 release Urlicht / Primal Light, Uri Caine took some of Gustav Mahler's most famous compositions, and, well, jazzed them up, with some of the most prominent musicians on the downtown New York scene, including Dave Douglas and Joey Baron.

What still surprises me about this beautiful album is just how faithful Caine is to Mahler. Unlike his later Goldberg Variations, this isn't Mahler deconstructed, it's Mahler revered, in a small group jazz (and at times, thanks to Don Byron , klezmer) setting. It makes perfect sense -- if some of the greatest jazz performances have come from mediocre show tunes, why not use symphonies and lieder as a starting point for improvisation?

I so desperately wanted to hate this recording. Upon looking at the line-up (which includes a DJ and a guitarist!), I wanted to listen to this recording and write a virulent, bile-filled review of it.

However, it's brilliant.

Uri Caine, manages to distill Mahler's music down to its very core. Sounds strange and daunting, and this is definitely quite a task, but Caine succeeds. The pain, the longing of Mahler's symphonies comes out here, as does his Semitic influences (which are often covered-up in his orchestrations).

It's odd, but by playing Mahler's music with unusual arrangements and lineups, Caine is showing us a "pure" Mahler...he's removing the introduction, the body, and the conclusion, and giving us the thesis statement...and some really awesome improvised solos.

This is a triumph for the avant-garde, and for Mahler. He would have approved.

This is still Uri Caine's best album. I'm convinced that years from now this will be pointed to as his seminal achievement as a musical artist. He's tried so many things, and has had success with so many musical genres/styles. Yet this is the topper. You must own this record!

Taking some of New York's (and the world's) most interesting a virtuoistic players (notably Don Byron, Joey Baron, Mark Feldman, Dave Douglas, Josh Roseman, etc), Uri Caine investigates the music of Gustav Mahler, and comes out with some of the most interesting, brilliant, beautiful and emotional music ever documented. Caine takes apart the works of Mahler, adds, subtracts, and rearranges them into new incredible pieces. This recording ranges from straight classical to free jazz, to funk, to jazz, to hip hop, to klezmer, and much more. Absolutely one of the most brilliant records ever recorded in terms of concept and performing.

it's not pure as in so many anally treated works of Mahler. admittedly i am not interested in listening to see if the sonority of the instruments is perfect to some pompous standard, and it's not but there is another dedication here and an unmeasurable energy. i love the youthfulness of this work.

Yes, Mahlerites will shudder the first time they hear this. I certainly did. But the more I thought about it, and when I subsequently bought it and started listening to it with an openness to what Caine et al. are trying to do, I started to realize that true Mahlerites will see this as immensely insightful, and for much more than its novelty value. And anyone capable of appreciating both Mahler and jazz will hear this disc as very relevant and enjoyable.