Jazz Articles about Fred Hersch

Fred Hersch Ensemble: Leaves of Grass

by John Kelman
February 21, 2005

Only two months into 2005 and already there have been a number of early contenders for the year's top ten lists. Add to that growing number pianist Fred Hersch and his ensemble's Leaves of Grass , an album that sets the poetry of Walt Whitman to music with elegance and dignity. While structure far outweighs experimentation on this release, the most ambitiously through-composed work of Hersch's career, there is still plenty of engaged interplay to support Whitman's eloquent words. In ...

Fred Hersch Trio: Trio + 2

by John Kelman
May 23, 2004

Following 2002’s Live at the Village Vanguard , pianist Fred Hersch takes an artistic leap, expanding his trio to a quintet for the imaginative Trio + 2. While the result is somewhat more abstract, it is equally compelling.

Recorded in just a single day, this album finds Hersch and the trio at a remarkably high level of interaction. While bassist Drew Gress and drummer Nasheet Waits are both in-demand players, they almost feel like they are coming home when they ...

Fred Hersch: Trio + 2

by AAJ Staff
April 24, 2004

Trio + 2 bops hard in places but falls outside of the hard bop conventions that its players inherently possess. The result is just under one hour of autonomous music that transcends true bop ensemble but falls short of pure quintet improvisation. Fred Hersch’s timing defines this record, which was officially released one week before his six-night Village Vanguard residency with the group late last month. Trio + 2 takes turns swinging the location of rhythm between all players: Hersch ...

The Fred Hersch Trio + 2: The Fred Hersch Trio + 2

by C. Michael Bailey
March 5, 2004

With this record pianist Fred Hersch leaves the friendly confines of his trio, expanding it to a quintet, and produces one of the edgiest releases of his career. Comprised of nine original compositions and a single standard ("And I Love Her"), The Fred Hersch Trio + 2 explores more deeply Hersch’s balladic writing and performing. Mr. Hersch seems most comfortable at mid-tempo as evidenced by the opening piece, “A Riddle Song." This same comfort extrapolates to “Miss B" and “Lee’s ...

Fred Hersch and Norma Winstone: Songs & Lullabies

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
May 1, 2003

Pianist Fred Hersch has long been respected in the jazz community for his chops, lush harmonic sense, steady growth and productivity, and the ability to compose beautiful, lingering melodies. His recent Guggenheim fellowship finally recognizes him as a national cultural treasure.

Fred makes Herschian music - using whatever he chooses to best follow his muse - while his work is always jazz-inflected, it embraces classical forms as well. I recently saw him premiere his "24 Variations on a Bach Chorale" ...

Fred Hersch: Live At the Village Vanguard

by Celeste Sunderland
February 17, 2003

After a seven year period devoted mostly to solo releases and songwriter specific albums, pianist Fred Hersch returns to the trio. Last May, with Drew Gress on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums, he recorded The Fred Hersch Trio: Live At the Village Vanguard (Palmetto), his first trio album since 1995. Shimmering, energetic and personal, the pianist considers it his best trio album ever. “I felt it was time to make a record that was just about playing, ...

The Fred Hersch Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard

by Jim Santella
February 1, 2003

Any live performance by Fred Hersch can be a real treat. His intensity and momentum carry the day, and everybody comes away from the affair with a sense of accomplishment.

“What’d you do this weekend?” ”I went out to see Fred Hersch Saturday night.”

'Nuff said. It’s something to tell your friends about. Hell, you’re not likely to stop there, either. It’s a time to contact friends you haven't seen in ages and let ...