Waiting for… Uri Caine at the Musicafoscari San Servolo Jazz Fest

Waiting for his concert on Saturday October 28th at the Auditorium S. Margherita, the well known composer and jazz pianist from Philadelphia shared his views and recent news about music and his compositions.

How did you start to pursue music?
I took piano lessons when I was a little boy with a teacher in my neighborhood. I was about 7 or 8 and I started to be more and more interested, and by the time I was about 12 or 13 I was already a very good pianist. I grew up in Philadelphia so I had the chance to play a lot. And I think that if you play the piano you get to play in many different situations, with other people… I was always interested in it and I kept on working on it.

Do you have musical inspirations?
Of course! I think that when you see other musicians playing, then you say: “I want to try to do that”! That’s the main inspiration but then also the great tradition of the music that you studied and listened to when you were younger: jazz music, classical music, you know, music from South America.

How would you describe your creation process?
I like to be spontaneous, but I also respect the deadline. You have to know how to work and finish things up but also try to stay open to do different things.

What will you present at Musicafoscari San Servolo Jazz Fest?
Well, I will play a combination of original pieces, screen improvisations, maybe some improvisations on classical music, improvisations on jazz standards like music of people like Thelonious Monk.

In 2003 as the director of Biennale Musica, so you were at the centre of one of the most important cultural events in Venice. Which images or elements of the city stroke you the most?
It was a beautiful time! It was an opportunity for being in the centre of a lot of music. And of course Venice is a special place. I am very lucky to be invited a lot to play in Italy, and I love Italy, I love coming to play there. I have many good friends there. For me it represented all those things - music but also people, the enthusiasm of the public.

What do you expect from a Jazz Festival that has many university students in its audience?
I am always happy to play for students. They become our teachers, so that’s good too.

Do you have a memory of a concert that you particularly enjoyed as an artist or as a spectator?
I have had many beautiful experiences, and I can’t choose one or two… That’s a really nice experience to play music all over the place: very unexpected places both from the public’s point of view and from the musician’s. You know when the public doesn’t seem very interested but the music is great… So… That is a hard question to answer!

Could you tell us a little bit about the projects you are currently working on?
I am writing a piece for orchestra and improvisers about the latest period here with Trump, and I am hoping to record some of this other music that I have written or to publish it. I also have some new things I am working on.

In your approach to music, you combine classical music, jazz, and improvisations. Do you notice a different perception of music by the audience?
Of course! There are many differences. If the audience knows the music that is being somehow changed, then they have this definite reaction to that as opposed to people who have no idea what you are playing. Both of it is good. People say “what was that music? Ow that was Mozart”. But for the people who are really invested in Mozart - and of course Mozart is great - they had different opinion about it. And it’s just, you know become something else. That’s the whole question of how people perceive anything. They are very the products of what they like and they judge other people by that. That’s why it’s very important to understand what people criticize. I understand why you’ d think that. You don’t have to agree on everything.

Find all the programme of the Festival in the website www.unive.it/jazzfest.