Fred Hersch: The Surrounding Green

In a world where turmoil arrives almost instantly via notifications on our devices, a Fred Hersch album feels like sanctuary—an invitation to slow down and listen deeply. The Surrounding Green, his third release for ECM, once again finds the pianist in tandem with producer Manfred Eicher, the ideal partner to bring focus to the pianist's gentle improvisational and instrumental artistry.

Widely regarded as one of jazz's most distinctive and enduring voices, Hersch's creative vision has influenced the genre for more than three decades. With over 60 albums as a leader or co-leader, multiple Grammy nominations and a host of accolades, his impact resonates through generations of pianists, with luminaries such as Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson among his many former students.

For this recording, Hersch reunites with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron. Both are musical companions whose rapport has evolved over decades of frequent collaboration, but The Surrounding Green marks their first studio album as a trio. They are intuitive and responsive collaborators and the maturity of their interplay shapes the seven tracks.

The album opens with "Plainsong," a reimagining of a composition previously featured on Hersch's 2017 solo recording Open Book (Palmetto Records). This trio version begins with delicate piano phrases that initiate an intimate, labyrinthine journey, as Hersch effortlessly arcs between moods, with the additional bass and drums bringing new depth and dimensions. There are two new Hersch tunes: the title track, where his inventive playing floats around a beautiful melody, and the uplifting "Anticipation," which offers a buoyant contrast, as Gress and Baron build a lithe, Brazilian-tinged groove.

The remaining tracks encompass standards and lesser-known jazz compositions. The trio's interpretation of Ornette Coleman's "Law Years" is driven along by cymbals and bass, punctuated by Hersch's darting, angular piano phrases. The original recording featured bassist Charlie Haden, with whom both Hersch and Baron have collaborated. The trio pays further homage to Haden's legacy, exploring the melancholy and beauty in one of Haden's compositions, "The First Song." Egberto Gismonti's "Palhaço" emerges as a highlight, uplifting, rhythmically rich and full of tonal colour. On "Embraceable You," the trio is at its most inventive, with Baron's rhythmic prelude leading off, perhaps with a nod to Vernel Fournier, before Hersch's improvisation neatly obscures the familiar melody until the composition's final moments.

Everything is elegant here; the trio has achieved mastery of their collective approach, not in raging romps or virtuosic displays, but in the clarity of their communication and their use of space. Gress and Baron glide in and out of the spotlight with superb timing, while Hersch crafts improvisations that are both intricate and unhurried, quietly commanding attention. It is music that doesn't need to raise its voice to be heard and offers, in its own quiet way, a form of escape.

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