Search - Uri Caine Ensemble :: I Went Out This Morning Over The Countryside: Gustav Mahler In Toblach

Live Uri Caine Mahler project

bimwa | Australia | 06/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me clear up something that other reviews have missed - this double cd is a LIVE rendition of the "Primal Light" single cd, hence it's fitting over two discs. While much of it is fantastic, I don't see it as absolutely necessary since the original has a live feel about it anyway. But the arrangements unfold completely differently to on "Primal Light". And I think that is the point of both "Primal Light" and this double cd. It is not to add jazz, klezmer and hip-hop to Mahler as an exercise in arranging and updating the music; rather it is finding that Mahler is an excellent vehicle for jazz soloing (and arrangement). The ensemble is a smaller one than on "Primal Light", featuring Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Dave Binney on sax, Mark Feldman on violin and the wonderful Jim Black on drums among others. Anyway, it's a very interesting project, but I would recommend going for "Primal Light" first, then this one..."

The final step, and a great success

George Grella | Brooklyn | 08/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The next stage from 'Urlicht/Primal Light' is this live performance of the same material, in the same order, and it is a complete success. As if the interval alone from first recording to performance allowed time for the ideas to sink in, everyone sounds completely comfortable and confident with the material, and the playing really catches fire. While some choices and ideas may not work for everyone - the turntable sound of a crying baby at the beginning of one of the Kindetotenlieder tunes is still unsettling to me - the sense of ease the musicians have allows them to be far more daring with Mahler in this fiery jazz context. The bassist even plays the opening theme from the 3rd movement of Symphony No. 1 with so much of what Mahler intended in it that it should be a listen for every orchestral player seeking to master this music. It is great jazz, full of Mahler himself. A wonderful record."

Wins some battles but loses the war

George Grella | 04/11/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"[Let me state at the outset that this review is based on the recording "primal light". According to the information given in Amazon's review, this recording is a 2CD re-issue of a project which originally had only 1 CD. Both total 11 cuts, but each has 2 cuts that is not on the other. Beyond that, I have no idea if the same selections are different edits or performances. ]Although all of the artists on this recording have been involved with many other excellent and creative projects, I am sorry to report that I found this recording to be a failure.I am basically a jazz listener (very familiar with the vast straight-ahead and avant-garde [including postmodern] styles) who also is quite familiar with Mahler. On the average I have about 4 or 5 versions of each symphony from a group of conductors that include Bernstein, Boulez, Solti, Mitropoulos, Ozawa, and Inbal. So what is the problem? The point of view. At its worst, many passages are filled with individual contributions which don't belong in the ensemble. Is this because the player can't cover his part, or perhaps because they don't have a clear point of view of what they should play? Who knows. But the end result lacks focus and is contradictory.Some will say that the act of contradicting is what Mahler did. Based on his liner notes, this clearly is the view of film maker Franz Winter. (Caine's original involvement with this Mahler project was to accompany Winter's silent movie on Mahler.) That is an easy thing to say, but the question is how well they do this. Even when they play well enough, they still isn't enough to capture Mahler's essence. As Mahler, it is too meager. So what if the name of the game is to present alternative perspectives? They do that on "The Farewell from the Song of the Earth", which is what I consider to be the high point of the album. It is very well conceived with the vocals accompanied by the stirring violin work by Feldman. Definitely they have a point of view, and they deliver the goods.The Symphony No. 5 - Adagietto shows great potential; if only they would have stuck to that loose piano trio mode of improvising. This could have opened up a beautiful piece of music to a jazz way of making music, that is to say, stitching up a Mahler garment with a jazz fabric. But with all that potential for great beauty, why have those turntables?There are other brief passages that are compelling, but alas they don't last long. Then they end up getting sidetracked in half-baked tangents or silly posturings.The Primal Light recording received rave reviews and made many people's best of the year lists. I am presenting an opposite viewpoint. As I said before, although many things are well played, I just find it a failure as a artistic statement. Whether you like it or not, Mahler sets a high bar. In my opinion, they are not up to the task. I don't automatically put down renditions of classical works made by (free jazz) improvisers. For instance, I liked the Webern pieces Dave Douglas recorded on one of his earlier recordings. But his opening to the 5th symphony is either naive or embarrassing, take your pick.P.S Sorry about invoking the specter of the Vietnam war for the title of my review :)"