When Uri Caine starts to improvise freely, you get exactly the kind of bold, light-footed music people are craving these days when they think of jazz.You’re swept along by the speed of his ideas. You can’t help but marvel at the technical finesse in his playing, at the way he spins out catchy motifs without ever slipping into cliché. You enjoy his dynamic imagination—and the simple fact that he clearly loves playing for his audience. His music is never just about itself.You can hear his deep knowledge of European and American music history, yet he never sounds like someone who’s merely “jazzing up” classical works-He takes the originals seriously and reinterprets them on his own terms. 

Uri Caine, a Philadelphia-born pianist and composer, studied with Bernard Peiffer, George Rochberg, and George Crumb, and early on performed with leading jazz artists such as Philly Joe Jones and Hank Mobley. Since moving to New York in 1985, he has released over 30 albums as a bandleader, ranging from solo piano works to collaborations with ensembles like the Lutosławski Quartet, and is known for innovative reinterpretations of classical composers including Mahler, Wagner, Mozart, Verdi, Schumann, and Bach. His projects span acoustic and electric trios, and he received a Grammy nomination in 2009 for The Othello Syndrome.
Caine’s recent commissions include works for major orchestras such as the Brussels Philharmonic, the SWF Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. He has composed widely for international ensembles, served as Composer in Residence for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and performed his orchestral Diabelli Variations with leading symphonies. He was Director of the Venice Biennale in 2003.
Throughout his career he has collaborated with notable artists across jazz and experimental music, received grants from major U.S. arts institutions, and performed at top jazz and classical festivals worldwide.