Throughout the 1990s, the "downtown" pianist Uri Caine established himself as one of the most versatile, creative musicians around. In his post-modern eclecticism, Caine has absorbed not only the lessons of bebop (and post-bopper Herbie Hancock) but the traditional music of his Jewish-American heritage, as well as composers such as Beethoven and Mahler. His recordings range from thoughtfully swinging piano trios to large-group reinventions/reimaginings of composers Wagner, J.S. Bach, and Mahler in a jazz context. Caine has also contributed to fine recordings by Don Byron, Skip Heller, and Dave Douglas.