Bright Moments

Bob Doran Interviews Ralph Alessi

2009-11-03T09:53:00.001-08:00

Bob kindly sends us this very interesting interview with our next guest.

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A conversation with Ralph Alessi

The short bio on the website for trumpeter/composer/educator Ralph Alessi (www.ralphalessi.com) jumps straight to 1991, when he became "an active member of the New York jazz and improvised music scene as both sideman and leader."
He'd moved to the Big Apple from the Bay Area that year after growing up in San Rafael. His father was a freelance classical trumpet player who'd worked for the Metropolitan Opera and his mother was an opera singer before they relocated to the West Coast.

So you grew up in Marin County and left there to go to college?

I went to couple of different colleges and ended up at CalArts in Los Angeles. [Among his teachers was bassist Charlie Haden.] I got a couple of degrees there [in trumpet and bass]. And right after that I moved to New York.

What were you looking for in New York?

It was more of a feeling that I didn't have a choice. I had to move to New York because of the experience I had at CalArts; in particular I'd developed relationships and friendships, musical relationships with individuals like Ravi Coltrane, Scott Colley, Michael Caine, Peter Epstein and others. They'd either moved to New York before me or followed me out there. There was this feeling that it wouldn't make any sense to not continue what we'd started. And obviously there were other benefits to moving to New York, although I was a little reluctant at making that move. I was a little intimidated by the idea of living in New York, but I felt like I didn't have a choice, so I did it. And I'm still here.

When you moved there did you fall into the M-Base Collective?

I'd been a student of Steve Coleman at the jazz program at Banff [Canada]. Steve was one of the teachers there. About three years later he called me to play on an overdubbing session for one of his records. Then maybe a year after that I toured with him, and I continued playing with him for five or six years. But by that time the M-Base Collective wasn't really a collective any more. All those people were doing their own thing by that point.

Would you say the M-Base philosophy informed the way you evolved musically?

The M-Base Collective wasn't really a collective like the AACM [Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in Chicago]. The AACM had very defined tenants and ideas about what that was about. To my knowledge, the M-Base Collective was more just individuals who were playing together in those days. I was influenced by the music Steve was making and Greg Osby and others, but mostly Steve. I was into his music prior to meeting him. There's no doubt being around him and playing with him was important — he was a master musician. I was influenced by how he played, how he composed music, and also how he led a band. I liked his aesthetic for being a band leader.

Was he a model for the way you lead a band?

He's not the only one. Also there was the way Miles Davis led a band; Uri Caine is another who I played with a lot. It's basically hands off. You basically leave it up to the individuals, assuming that they will have the responsibility to learn the music and bring something to it. If that doesn't happen, then you call someone else. That's as opposed to 'You need to do this and you need to do that.' I'm more into leaving it up to the players.

So you present a composition and assume the players will make their own contribution to it?

Within reason. There are definitely moments where you want to be more active in the direction of the music, but I rarely do that. I call people that I know can bring something to the music in their own way. There's a process: You want people to bring forth their ideas instead of demanding immediate results. It's also about being accepting of different ideas rather than being rigid about your own ideas.

How do those ideas carry over into what you do as a teacher at the School for Improvisational Music? [the music school in Brooklyn founded by Alessi]

I would say that same kind of thinking is pretty consistent across the board. A lot of people involved [in the school] play with each other and they have shared sensibilities about how to play music, how it feels.

How do you teach improvisation? Is it something that can be taught as a process?

Sure, it can be taught.

How do you go about it?

First of all you have to inspire the students to investigate the music, investigate the vast resources that exist, especially nowadays. You learn so much just listening to recordings. I know that at least half of my own education was just listening, listening to all of the usual suspects, all the people what are part of the canon, the usual suspects being Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, on and on, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins.
That music is just so rich; I continue to listen and learn from it myself. A lot of it is listening and being exposed to those ways of making music. The other part is encouraging people to play by ear, to play not so much from their intellect, but from what they're hearing, with more importance put on listening and ways of making music in the moment and the strategies that have to do with that.
Of course theory and harmony and things like that — the nuts and bolts of music — are part of the equation as well, but we deemphasize those things.

Didn't you initially learn music from your father?

I did. I took lessons from him for about 10 years, but in terms of the music that turned me on, it probably started with pop music of the day, but also my brother's record collection. It went from there. I really enjoyed playing the trumpet and I enjoyed how the trumpet fit into classical music, but eventually that kind of faded away as I had more experiences making music where you played more of an active part, as either an improviser or a composer. In particular the experiences I had at CalArts made it clear that I wanted to go in that direction. Once I moved to New York, I had made that commitment.

Do you think of yourself as a composer?

Not primarily, although improvisation is composition in real time.

You're a spontaneous composer...

In many ways. To me it's using the same creative energy. Both are very creative endeavors. So I guess I'm both an improviser and a composer...

And a teacher...

I enjoy teaching. I learn from it. It really gets you to think about your ideas in a deeper way. And I don't have a set way of doing it; a lot of times I'm improvising while I teach.

RJA Press Release for Ralph Alessi and This against That

2009-11-01T11:28:00.001-08:00

The last concert of our fall season is with trumpeter Ralph Alessi and
his quintet This Against That on Monday, November 9 at 8 p.m. in the
Kate Buchanan Room. Tickets are $15 general admission and $10 for
students and seniors and can be purchased at the Works in Arcata and
Eureka, Peoples Records and Missing Link Records in Arcata and online
at http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/tickets.htm

Jazz Times magazine says Alessi has "drop-dead trumpet chops" and
calls his music "as clean and airy and sophisticated and disciplined
as post-modern progressive jazz gets.” Ralph Alessi was born in San
Rafael, the son of classical trumpeter Joe Alessi. (Brother Joe Jr.
is principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, and Ralph
himself freelanced with the San Francisco Symphony as he was coming up
through the ranks.) But after taking degrees in jazz trumpet and bass—
he studied under the legendary Charlie Haden at CalArts—he lit out for
New York, where he swiftly became an ubiquitous presence on the
downtown scene. He's been a frequent collaborator of such notable
musicians as Steve Coleman, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Uri Caine, Fred
Hersch, Dafnis Prieto and Jason Moran—most of whom have also played
and recorded in Alessi’s own groups. Alessi has recorded five albums
of originals which draw on everything from post-bop to neo-classical.
Jazz Times named This Against That's debut outing one of the ten best
recordings of 2002, while All About Jazz dubbed its 2007 follow-up
"Look" “an outstanding work of intellect and fire.”

This Against That’s current roster includes several A-list sidemen:

Tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby has been a member of Charlie Haden’s
Liberation Music Orchestra and Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band. The
New York Times put his debut album, "Sabino", among its top ten jazz
records of 2000.

Toronto-born pianist Andy Milne was voted “Rising Star Keyboardist” in
the 2004 DownBeat Readers Poll, and his band Dapp Theory blends jazz
with funk and hip-hop.

A partial list of bassist Ben Street's many credits includes tours and
recordings with Danilo Perez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roswell Rudd, Paul
Motian, Lee Konitz, David Sanchez, James Moody, Mark Turner, Ethan
Iverson, Clark Terry, and Sam Rivers.

Drummer Mark Ferber was raised in San Francisco and took a BA in
Geography at UCLA while studying classical percussion with Mitchell
Peters and drums with Billy Higgins. Since moving to New York, he has
worked and played with Lee Konitz, Norah Jones, Fred Hersch, and Larry
Goldings, among many others.

A leading figure in jazz education. Alessi is the founder and director
of Brooklyn’s School for Improvision (SIM), which is playing an
influential role in development of jazz’s next generation. In a
departure from usual RJA practice, Alessi and his band will conduct a
master class with selected local student musicians the afternoon of
his concert. The master class is at 1 p.m. on Monday, November 9 in
room 131 of the HSU Music Building. The public is invited to attend
for free as observers.

You can read more about Ralph Alessi and his bandmates in This Against
That and hear streaming audio of their music at http://redwoodjazzalliance.org/alessi.html

We'll see you at the show!

The Redwood Jazz Alliance

Next Up

2009-10-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

We're getting revved for our next show featuring Ralph Alessi and This Against That.

Monday, November 9, 2009 at the Kate Buchanan Room on the campus of Humboldt State University.

So Long, Wayne

2009-10-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

RJA folks and members of the Humboldt State University mourn the untimely passing of our friend Wayne Knight. He died last week of complications from the flu.

In the immortal words of Todd Rundgren: a wizard, a true star. Wayne designed our logo and we love him for that.

He was a great guy and we will miss him terribly.

Top Ten Lists

2009-10-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Brother Michael urges us to turn our thoughts to the annual list-a-thon. As it's also getting on nigh the end of the decade, we might also be thinking of the top ten of the last ten years, too.

James Hale jumps the gun.

Moi, I have a weird hunch that once I hear the rest of Ben Sidran's Dylan Different (I heard one cut on Mike Stratton's Sunday night radio show on WLNZ), I'm going to want that CD in my top ten.

Same goes for Ben Allison's new release, Think Free.

For now, all I know for sure is that Ron Horton's it's a gadget world is somewhere between numbers 1 and 5.

Bob Doran's Pics of Holshouser, Moore and Bennink

2009-10-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

Bob Doran has a very sweet slideshow at Flickr of Tuesday Night's RJA show.

A Workshop

2009-09-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Brass Ecstasy delivered a very wonderful workshop at Arcata High on Friday, September 4.

Bob Doran's pics from the Dave Douglas Show

2009-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Bob Doran took a great batch of pics. See them at his Flickr site.

Nasheet Waits and Me

2009-09-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Dave Douglas and Brass Ecstasy performed at the Arcata Theater Lounge on Thursday, September 3.

To see other photos, go here.

A Recent Missive Sent by the RJA

2009-08-16T09:56:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe that we're reaching the end of the summer
already, but that does mean that the first Redwood Jazz Alliance show
of the season is coming up, and it's one we're very excited about.

We've been trying to get Dave Douglas here for a long time, and he's
coming on September 3 with his group Brass Ecstasy. Their new album
"Spirit Moves" is getting rave reviews and Dave was just named the #1
trumpeter in the Downbeat International Critics poll for the 10th
consecutive year. You can read more about Dave and the other members
of his band and check out both audio and video of them at
http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/douglas.htm

Tickets for Dave Douglas and Brass Ecstasy are $15 general admission
and $10 for students and seniors and can be purchased at the Works in
Arcata and Eureka, Peoples Records and Missing Link Records in Arcata
and online at http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/tickets.htm

Brass Ecstasy will be our first show at the gloriously restored Arcata
Theatre Lounge--and the first show of another season of six
performances by a wide variety of world-class artists, including some
of the hottest young players on the scene today. If you haven't yet
checked out the full season, please do so at http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/2009-10.html

We're also very pleased to be able to make two new offers to you this
year:

1) From now through September 2nd, you can purchase a season ticket,
which will get you into all six shows of the season for the price of
five. Season tickets can be purchased online only at
http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/tickets.htm Even if you end up
having to miss a show, you're not out any money. And we benefit from
having more money to sink into programming costs earlier in the year.

2) A Redwood Jazz Alliance membership now gets you not only the warm
glow that comes from knowing you're helping to support bringing world-
class jazz to Humboldt County AND some lovely perks from select RJA
sponsors, but also reserved seating at any RJA concert you attend.
Read all of the details and purchase your membership here:
http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/underwrtg.htm Thanks to those of
you who have already joined, renewed, or purchased a gift membership!

We'll see you at the show!

Behold!

2009-08-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy

Thursday, September 3d, 8 p.m.

Arcata Theatre Lounge

Stand Up!

2009-06-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Gregg Moore and Bandemonium

2009-06-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Gregg has a new web site for all things Bandemonium .

http://relevantmusic.org/Bayside/Bandemonium/

"The Best in Human Powered Music for the Redwood Coast."

To see some really nice pics of Gregg and his tuba, visit Bob Doran's Flickr site and check out the photo set featuring Gregg.

The Redwood Jazz Alliance Needs Your Help!!!!

2009-06-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The following note is our latest missive to the world:

We wrote a week or so ago with a preview of coming attractions, namely
the artists you can expect to hear in the RJA’s coming season: Dave
Douglas Brass Ecstasy, Third Man Trio (Michael Moore, Will Holshouser
& Han Bennink), Ralph Alessi & This Against That, Myra Melford’s Be
Bread, Frank Kimbrough with Noah Preminger, Antonio Sanchez &
Migration. More details soon.

Talent like that doesn’t come cheap, we said. And that’s why we're
writing again tonight.

Part of what lets us keep ticket prices low is avid, open-eared jazz
fans like you who become members. Some of you signed on as "charter"
members last year, and for that we owe you our abiding thanks. (And a
few of you, we still owe a letter and a membership card—soon come!)

Summer is our fundraising season, and the more members we can line up
now, the firmer footing we'll be on in the fall. None of needs
reminding what tough times these are, and it’s already clear that some
of the good folks who’ve given us money in the past—local businesses,
Humboldt State—just may not be able to come through this year. But
you can make up the shortfall.

Seriously: if millions of small donations can send a jazz-loving
president to Washington (what other recent chief executive can you
name who has Coltrane on his iPod and brings Esperanza Spalding to
play the White House?), then dozens of small donations can keep world-
class jazz coming to Humboldt.

For a $40 tax-deductible contribution (we’re a registered 501 (c)(3)
charity), you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve played an
extra-ordinary part in bringing some major players on the contemporary
jazz and improvised music scene to the North Coast. And on the theory
that one good turn deserves another, four local merchants who are
friends of the RJA have volunteered to extend special favors to RJA
members. Present your 2009-10 membership card at our ticket outlets
all season long and receive

• 10% off jazz CDs at The Works (Arcata & Eureka locations)
• 10% off featured CDs by RJA guest artists at People’s Records
(Arcata Plaza)
• 10% all purchases at Missing Link Records (8th & J in Arcata, behind
the Co-Op)

Plus get 10% off one purchase of any amount at Northtown Books in
Arcata.

And starting this year, we’re bending our strict egalitarian principles
—just slightly—by offering members, donors, and sponsors a crack at
reserved seating (rather than our customary general admission) at all
shows they attend.

If you became a member last year: thanks again—really. Can we count
on you to renew? (If you joined at our after our final show of
2008-09, we’ll automatically extend your membership through 2009-10.)

If you’ve come to our shows and/or workshops without becoming a
member, and you feel as though you can spare a bit beyond the price of
a cheap ticket now and again: please join! (Or make a donation in
any amount that seems right.)

And if you or your business are in a position to plunk down a bit more
cash and become a bona fide sponsor, we’d love to talk to you about
that, too.

You can become a member, donor, or sponsor online at
http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/underwrtg.htm, or you can post a
check to: Redwood Jazz Alliance, P.O. Box 4443, Arcata CA 95518. If
you’ve got questions, please direct them to
rja@redwoodjazzalliance.org and we’ll gladly get back to you.

In any event: thanks for coming out to hear great music and signing
up for our list. It’s responses like yours that make us appreciate
what an amazing community we live in. Happy summer—and stay tuned for
news about Jazz Night at the Humboldt Folklife Festival and RJA Discs
of the Month.

Dan, Michael, Thomas, Eric, Michael, Loralei, and David
Redwood Jazz Alliance Board of Directors

New Season Teaser

2009-06-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Brother Eldridge recently composed this missive:

Dear Friends:

Hope your summer is off to a flying start.

It's downtime for us, concert-wise, but we're working hard to get
ready for fall and we wanted to give you a preview of what's in store--
before we announce it to the general public.

We're still finalizing dates in one or two instances, but here's who
you can look forward to hearing and seeing as guests of the RJA in
2009-2010:

In September, one of the most acclaimed (and eclectic) composers of
the past two decades, trumpeter Dave Douglas, leads off the season
with a new project, "Brass Ecstasy." The quintet (four horns and
drums) will be touring behind a brand new album and coming to us after
a residency at New York's famed Jazz Standard and an extensive summer
tour of Europe. You can stream the album---and watch a great
documentary video---at
http://www.greenleafmusic.com/store/productdetail.php?p=136

In October, local-boy-made-good, reedist Michael Moore, returns to
Humboldt County in an unusual trio with accordianist Will Holshouser
and fellow ICP Orchestra member (and 2008 winner of the European Jazz
Award), legendary drummer and wildman Han Bennink. The group's name--
the Third Man Trio--was suggested to them by an Austrian friend.
(They must have reminded him of the Viennese thugs in the Carol Reed
film, surmises Holshouser.)

In November, it's New York trumpeter Ralph Alessi with his band "This
Against That," featuring Tony Malaby, Andy Milne, John Hebert, and
Mark Ferber. The group--whose previous members have included Don
Byron, Jason Moran, Drew Gress, and Nasheet Waits--has recorded two
dynamite albums of adventurous, inside/outside music on Ravi
Coltrane's RKM label.

January sees the return visit of one of our most popular guests,
pianist and composer Myra Melford, this time leading a new incarnation
of her "Be Bread" ensemble, with a killer lineup of Cuong Vu on
trumpet; Ben Goldberg on clarinet; and Matt Wilson on drums. The
band's debut album is one of our favorites, and they'll be kicking off
a bi-coastal tour in Arcata behind a brand new disc on
Cryptogramophone.

In February, it's another of our favorite pianists, Frank Kimbrough,
whose influences run from Bill Evans to Andrew Hill, and who holds
down keyboard duties for the Maria Schneider Orchestra, among other
jobs. He'll appear in a duo with one of this year's up-and-coming
stars of the New York jazz scene, tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger.

And we close the season in March with another in a series of young
innovators of the nueva Latin Jazz movement: drummer Antonio Sanchez
and his band Migration. This version of the band will sport two of
following A-List saxophonists, any one of whom we'd love to bring to
Humboldt County (and two of whom we have!): on alto, David Binney or
MacArthur "Genius" Grant winner Miguel Zenon, and on tenor, Donny
McCaslin or David Sanchez (no relation).

Phew!

Talent like that doesn't come cheap--but with your help, and the help
of local business owners and professionals (and support from HSU)--we
can keep it affordable. We'll make a membership plea in another
message soon, but if you want to spare yourself the pitch, just go to
http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/underwrtg.htm right now and become
a member or make a donation.

Thanks--and stay tuned!

UPDATE: Myra Melford writes to us today with a slight correction:

"Just wanted to clarify something: the new cd is coming out on Firehouse 12
(not Crypto)."

Late to the Party

2009-05-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

There's something wrong with me.

I have a job. And it's a busy job. It's getting busier. Teaching is never easy, but each semester it seems there's more to do and I have less energy for the doing of it, or at least some of the doing of it. Increasingly these days--ask any teacher at the university level--it's more and more about the business of the "managed" corporate university and less and less about the students and teaching.

But I digress. (Stop me before I start to scream again about the state of the CSU!)

Today I'm back, the grades are handed in ("submitted" [online] nowadays), and the blog can go on.

Go on about what?

The RJA season has ended. The Fly show, which I completely missed here at "Bright Moments," was another awesome show. It has come and gone. We are negotiating among ourselves about whom to ask for next year (and my goodness GRACIOUS do we have some great shows next season) . . .

Meanwhile, here's something we're doing in conjunction with new friends and sponsors at the new record shop in town, "Missing Links." More about them soon.

No I mean really....The New York Times REALLY likes Fly!

2009-04-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

2nd feature in two days in a row on our next RJA guest, Fly!

The NYT HEARTS Fly

2009-04-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Check out this profile of our next guest at the New York Times this morning.

This show is gonna be hot!

Next Up!

2009-03-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Mark Turner, and FLY!

April 26.

Here are the details.

Bob Doran Takes Great Pics!

2009-03-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

Wanna see something real real nice?

Bob Doran's Flickr set of the Uri Caine show.

Libation and Jazz

2009-03-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ed Campbell at Libation provides the wine for the Redwood Jazz Alliance shows and other functions.

Libation is a friendly place for local jazz musicians as well as wine connoisseurs. On Friday and Saturday nights, Ed hosts a wine bar at the shop, where you can try out an assortment of reds and whites to the accompaniement of local musicians.

Good stuff.

Ed is one of the major reasons the RAJ is succeeding in bringing good new jazz to Humboldt.

Check it out at on the west side of the Plaza in Arcata and online.

Uri Caine Trio

2009-03-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

They put on a terrific show.

Drew Gress, Uri Caine, Ben Perowsky, March 12, 2009, at the Graves Gallery, Eureka, CA.

Uri Caine talks to Bob Doran

2009-03-12T15:55:00.001-07:00

The Uri Caine Interview (for the North Coast Journal, conducted by Bob Doran)

You seem to have a lot of projects going.

I do. I have different things happening.

I've been listening to your Live at the Village Vanguard album, thinking what you do is basically straight-ahead jazz. Then I took a look at the discography on your website and realized that's just one aspect of what you do. You seem to be musically omnivorous.

No, it's just a sequence of things. Musicians who grew up with a lot of different kind of music — and also if you're a keyboard player — you get a chance to play a lot of different styles of music. That's what I did when I was younger, which was a good way to start thinking about different ways of playing.

Different like your more electronic band, Bedrock...

Exactly. And sometime it's taking classical music, using it as a basis for improvisation playing with an ensemble. A lot of that is based on some of the CDs I've made, using those [pieces] as a basis for improvisation. And I play with all different types of improvisers. I've been doing that pretty much since I started playing music. But as I said before, playing keyboards has a lot to do with that — it's versatile. Looking back on the strong musical experiences I've had, everything from playing with singers and playing with choirs to playing different styles of jazz, free music, more swinging stuff, I've tried to get in touch with all of it.

It's omnivorous in contrast to other musicians who might focus more on just one style.

That happens in all types of music and art. For me, it's not just eclecticism for its own sake; it's more just moving from one opportunity to another. Playing swinging music is a different challenge from playing with an orchestra, or learning how to record yourself on a computer. You work on all those things. I think it's good also to have a wide variety of composition styles. In some cases you need something quite specific, other times you need something loose and open.

When it's more or less spontaneous composition...

Exactly. Or you set certain guidelines, underlying things that happen in each piece to set a structure for improvisation.

So while you describe yourself as a composer, sometimes that only means providing a framework.

Depending on the situation, you might have a group of musicians where some are reading and others are improvising or everybody is improvising over a certain chord change. Sometimes you create different sections within a piece by setting who's playing and who is not. Again, that comes from my experience. When I was growing up I was playing more straight-ahead jazz, bebop influenced, but at the same time I was working with people who were more into freer compositions.

Weren't you also studying composition with established modern composers?

That's right. I was lucky. When I was a teenager, I was studying with a composer in Philadelphia, George Rochberg. He was teaching a parallel course where we would go through a lot of classical forms. We'd write in forms like a Mozart sonata or a Beethoven development form. He had been known more for serial atonal work, but he'd switched back to more tonal styles and doing collage music that had snippets of other people's music. In academic circles that was considered radical.

Do you think we've reached a point in music where you don't expect that sort of reaction, where pretty much anything goes?

There's certainly more tolerance, allowing different styles to coexist. Especially today there's this information overload: You can sit and listen to music from Bali, then Beethoven, then to what was once obscure contemporary music or obscure electronic music — you can find it all. That tends to even things out. Everything becomes everything. But I think back then in the academic world coming out of the '50s and '60s, there was this thinking that there had to be a strong theoretical influence from contemporary music to be taken seriously, Arnold Schoenberg etc. etc.

What does it take today to be considered seriously?

A YouTube page.

Or a MySpace page.

Right. That's what I mean. The context is changing. I think it's a good thing for musicians. The whole idea of ownership of music and making money from music that way has changed.

It's hard to say what the new music business model will be if everyone can get music for free.

One of the things it does for performers is, it makes the performance more of an avenue. That's not touched the same way. People still want to see live music.

What's your deal with your recordings? It seems like you have a lot of liberty.

I record a lot for a record company based in Munich. It was Jazz Music Today, then it became Winter & Winter. They've made about 19 of the 20 or so CDs I've done.

Is it safe to assume you have relationship where they let you record whatever you want, up to a point?

Some of the music I've wanted to do is harder because it's very expensive, especially the more classical things with orchestra. You have a lot of musicians to pay. But most of my stuff was done through him.

What do you have in the works?

I'm making a new Bedrock CD, so we are editing that now and also working on building computer grooves. We're trying to get a certain rhythmic sound in editing on the computer. We looking for a certain spaced out sound, so that involves either working on what we've done and playing over it, or going in the studio then deconstructing it.

And in the middle of that you're shifting gears to work with a trio playing straight-ahead. Does that require realigning your thought patterns in some way?

No. Especially with our group because we've been together so long. We're used to playing with each other, so it's just natural. In that group we're mostly playing standards and originals, but there's also an open aspect to it. Things can go into different fields or grooves — we try not to play things exactly the same way. After working for days trying to construct something like what we do with Bedrock, it's actually a relief to go out and just play. You're free. You're not second guessing. You're just going for it. It's also different from this other thing I'm trying to finish, a piece for string quartet. The goal there is to create a piece that has space for improvisation but also a structure. That's also hopefully to be recorded in spring. All these different things make you think in different ways.

I see on your website that your record The Othello Syndrome was nominated for a Grammy for "Classical Crossover." What is that? I'm not sure I know what it means.

I don't know what it means either. I'm not really trying to do that. You have no control over how people interpret what you're doing. You just do it and hope that it's OK.

Jazz will Save The Economy

2009-03-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Uri Caine Trio Coming Soon!

2009-03-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

Our next show is just around the corner. We're proud to present the Uri
Caine Trio on Thursday, March 12 at 8 pm at the Morris Graves Museum of
Art (636 F St. in Eureka).

Tickets are $15 general admission and $10 for students and seniors and are
on sale now at Peoples Records and the Works in Arcata and Eureka and
online at http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/tickets.htm. It's going to be
great hearing this brilliant piano trio in the wonderfully intimate
Graves, but that also means that seating is limited. If you purchase
tickets in advance online or at one of the outlets, we can guarantee that
you'll get a seat. If you get them at the door, standing room may be all
that's left. Remember also to come early to get a good seat.

Uri Caine is a wildly eclectic and inventive pianist known equally for his
massive jazz chops and his iconoclastic reinterpretations of classical
composers. He's collaborated with everyone from Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson
(of hip-hop band The Roots) to the Cleveland Orchestra, and his extensive
discography includes recordings dedicated to solo piano, Tin Pan Alley,
Jewish traditions and electro-acoustic grooves. In his trio, which has
been a working band for over a decade, Caine practices yet another musical
style in which he's deeply rooted: modern, acoustic, straight-ahead jazz.
But like the rest of his music, his work with piano trio both honors and
reinterprets the tradition, using familiar standards and his own originals
as springboards for surprising and adventurous improvisations. All About
Jazz called the group's signature album "Live at the Village Vanguard"
"relentlessly inventive...a masterwork from a pianist at the very top of
his game."

The other two members of the trio are fantastic musicians as well. Bassist
Drew Gress is a respected leader in his own right who has also served as a
sideman for musicians like Ralph Alessi, Tim Berne, Ravi Coltrane, Marc
Copland, Fred Hersch and John Hollenbeck. His album "7 Black Butterflies"
landed on a slew of "Best of 2005" lists. Ben Perowsky's drumming has been
heard with everyone from Rickie Lee Jones and James Moody to John Zorn and
John Cale. He also leads several groups of his own.

As with all Redwood Jazz Alliance concerts, the artists will present a
free workshop open to everyone the next morning. Caine’s workshop will be
at 10 a.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall on Friday, March 13.

For more about the Uri Caine Trio, go to
http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/caine.html. You'll also find streaming
audio of their music there.

We'll see you on the 12th!