Jazz Articles about Fred Hersch

Fred Hersch: Breath by Breath

by David Bixler
February 2, 2022

Fred Hersch: Breath By Breath

by Pierre Giroux
January 7, 2022

The intellectual and musical curiosity that inspires the work of pianist Fred Hersch is broad and deep. Validation of this is in his current release Breath By Breath which is informed by his early piano education and listening to string quartets, supported more recently by his advocacy of meditation as a way manage external factors beyond one's control. In the liner notes, Hersch encourages listeners to take the time to attend the eight-movement “Sati Suite" in ...

Fred Hersch and Hiromi: Great Minds

by Doug Collette
January 6, 2022

Contemplating the thought that Fred Hersch and Hiromi discussed the concept for these records in advance is little more fascinating than pondering how they came up with the idea independently of each other. While both artists reside within the general scope of jazz, each travels markedly different paths around the terrain: Hersch is the more traditional composer/improviser, his classical leanings in marked contrast to the pop-cum-fusion tendencies of Hiromi. Within the specific context of these companion pieces, however, it's the ...

Fred Hersch: Songs From Home

by Victor L. Schermer
November 23, 2020

As Fred Hersch is sometimes wont to do, this album is built around a story, some of which is intended, and some of which may be embedded in the pianist's unconscious and manifested in his imagination and the way that he plays. The conscious part is simple, and basically stated in the liner notes. Hersch leaves the pandemic conditions around his loft in Manhattan and is in semi-isolation in his country home in northeastern Pennsylvania. He and his partner built ...

Fred Hersch: Songs From Home

by Pierre Giroux
November 6, 2020

In order for solo piano playing to be maintained at a high standard, the artist must exhibit a prolific imagination, a wealth of conviction and self-assurance, note-striking precision and a firm sense of swing. Throughout his career, Fred Hersch has exhibited these qualities. Since performers (be they musicians, dancers or actors) are generally defined by their craft (otherwise they are just regular folks like the rest of us) even in these uncertain times, they continue to ...

3x3: Piano Trios: January 2020

by Geno Thackara
January 11, 2020

Geir Åge Johnsen/Fredrik Sahlander/Bernt Moen 1+1=3 Losen Records 2019 What exactly does this title signify? It isn't quite clear, seeing as there are three players here and each counts as a positive one in any equation. Small mystery and all, though, it's a fun session brimming with good humor and smarts. The players here offer a mix of fresh compositions and old-school jazz staples, all offered with the same melodic charm and sharp dose of ...

The Fred Hersch Trio: 10 Years / 6 Discs

by Mark Corroto
October 5, 2019

You might be surprised by pianist Fred Hersch's response to a near-death coma in 2008. Quoting from his memoir Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In And Out Of Jazz (Crown Archetype Press, 2017), “a confrontation with death brings home the preciousness of life... It was the newest, brightest, shining, most surprising, most uplifting feeling I had ever had." Listeners need not endure a two-month persistent vegetative state to induce a similar response. They need only listen to Hersch's output ...