Uri Caine Ensemble - Rhapsody in Blue (2013)

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. Both compose, direct from the piano, ground-breaking projects; and both range between classical music and jazz. Caine chooses Gershwin s outstanding masterpiece 'Rhapsody in Blue' as the core piece of his new interpretations and fills this amazing opus with a new spirit of jazz, infused with the klezmer melodies played more than hundred years ago in the homeland of their fathers. Barbara Walker and Theo Bleckmann sing 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off' in a touching duet. Uri Caine s ensemble for this album also includes Joyce Hammann on violin, Jim Black on drums and Mark Helias on bass; fantastic musicians long part of Caine s close circle. The final track 'How Long Has This Been Going On' is presented by Uri Caine as an homage to Gershwin as a piano solo piece.

Tracklist:

1. Rhapsody In Blue
2. But Not For Me
3. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
4. I Got Rhythm
5. I've Got A Crush On You
6. They Can't Take That Away From Me
7. Slap That Bass
8. Love Is Here To Stay
9. How Long Has This Been Going On

Personnel:

Uri Caine – piano
Mark Helias – acoustic bass
Jim Black – drums
Ralph Alessi – trumpet (1, 2, 4, 6, 8)
Chris Speed – clarinet (1, 2, 6, 8), tenor sax (4)
Joyce Hammann – violin (1, 2, 6, 8)
Theo Bleckmann – vocals (2-3, 5-6)
Barbara Walker – vocals (3, 7)