Perennially unpopular president Donald Trump is under attack again, this time from jazz pianist and composer Uri Caine. Caine has just performed the world premiere of his new piece Agent Orange, inspired by his dislike for Trump.
Culture houses Flagey and De Bijloke commissioned Caine to compose a new symphonic work for Brussels Philharmonic in 2016, during the presidential elections. Caine’s work responds angrily to Trump’s divisive political message.
Agent Orange is a piece for orchestra, improvisers and electronics. Caine and the Brussels Philharmonic performed the world premiere on 18 January in Brussels, followed by a second concert on 19 January in Ghent. In addition to Brussels Phil, Caine was joined on stage by David Liebman (saxophone), John Hébert (double bass) and DJ Olive (electronics).
It is the third time Brussels Phil has collaborated with a major jazz artist as part of its annual ‘Jazz meets Symphonic’ series. Previously the orchestra worked with pianist Brad Mehldau (2017) and double bass player Avishai Cohen (2016).