Uri Caine: Solitaire

Released as one-third of a trio of recordings hitting the streets at the same time, Solitaire blows a gale-force wind through Western instrumental music. Equal parts Eric Satie, Marice Ravel, Louie Moreau Gottschalk, Fats Waller, and Cecil Taylor, Solitaire expresses itself as Uri Caine's busy subconscious. This is a recording of vignettes, short piano pieces not unlike Satie's that draw upon a wealth of Classic, Jazz, and historic knowledge. The music rushes the listener quickly with so many ideas, genres, allusions, and quotes that the listener could mistake the recital for a conversation between competing philosophers. Notes ripple in the ether note so much for having been played as from vibrating naturally without coercion.

Caine recorded Solitaire, unadulterated, at Schloss Elmau in Germany, where the sonics are superb. The music is a bit indescribable, as its depth and breath are immense. Suffice it to say that the recording is a bit like an Avant Guard Classical recital where the performer has a stream-of-consciousness conversation with the instrument and we, the audience, are eaves-dropping.

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