Fred Hersch Announces National Solo Tour Dates

New York, NY - Shortly following the release of Fred Hersch in Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis on February 21st, Hersch will be the first pianist in the 70-year history of the Village Vanguard to perform an entire week of solo piano at the legendary venue February 28 through March 5, 2006. These performances will kick off a national tour that will include appearances in Easton, PA, Ann Arbor, MI, Kalamazoo, MI, and Grand Rapids, MI culminating at the Regattabar in Boston before the European leg of the tour in May. (details are below)

Fred Hersch in Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis is an eclectic program (Hersch, Monk, Rowles, McHugh, Carmichael, Jobim) of Hersch at his pianistic peak. Solo piano is an unusual specialty in jazz, and Fred Hersch has taken his place as the most prolific and widely-praised solo jazz pianist of his generation. A two-time GRAMMY nominee, Hersch's incredible focus translates to spacious soundscapes, from the lushly orchestral to breathtakingly simple - yet always with the rhythmic vitality that is his trademark.

“I think there is a certain un-self-consciousness about the performances on this disc that is extremely difficult for me (or almost anyone) to achieve in a recording studio," says Fred of the recording. “I had one of those magical nights where everything felt right."

Fred has performed as a solo pianist at prestigious venues and festivals around the world including: Carnegie Hall; The Gilmore Keyboard Festival; The Herbst Theatre (San Francisco); The London, Rome, Montreal, Santa Fe, Middelheim (Belgium) and San Francisco Jazz Festivals; and numerous others.

Hersch has created an immense and diverse body of solo, trio, small group, large ensemble and classical music over his 20-year career as a leader. Fred's compositional efforts and performance collaborations speak to the gradual erasure of boundaries between jazz and classical music.

Tour Dates

February 22, 2006
University Center, Adelphi University
Garden City, NY

February 28 - March 5, 2006
Village Vanguard
New York, NY

March 12, 2006
Kerrytown Concert House
Ann Arbor, MI

March 13 - 15, 2006
Residency: Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI

March 15, 2006
Dalton Recital Hall, Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI

March 16, 2006
UICA
Grand Rapids, MI

March 18, 2006
An Die Musik
Baltimore, MD

March 21, 2006 (tribute concert)
Abby Whiteside Foundation, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

March 24, 2006
Regattabar
Boston, MA