Discography - Part 4

Fred Hersch
I Never Told You: Fred Hersch Plays Johnny Mandel




by Ken Dryden
During the 1990s, many jazz musicians considered Johnny Mandel as one of the greatest living composers, but this solo outing by Fred Hersch is one of the few releases that sticks exclusively to his compositions. The pianist doesn't just stick to Mandel's best known works; the somewhat dark "Moon Song" receives its recording debut here, while the mood is also bittersweet in his interpretation of "I Never Told You." The influence of Thelonious Monk is immediately obvious in the delightful "Sure as You're Born." It was difficult for the pianist to choose among the many standards written by Mandel, but Hersch's upbeat take of "A Time for Love," his very sparse deliberate arrangement of "Emily," and a brisk reading of "Close Enough for Love" all stand apart from approaches typically utilized by jazz musicians. But Hersch's most captivating interpretation of Mandel's music is his duo piano version of "Seascape," which he created by overdubbing a second track. All in all, this is a superb release that can especially benefit those new to jazz; the combination of a master composer and an inspired interpreter make for enjoyable listening.


Fred Hersch
Concert Music 2001-2006




By Blogcitics
Fred Hersch may be the best post-Bill Evans jazz pianist performing. He has effectively extended Evans’ piano language to jazz areas Evans could never reach (Thelonious Monk, for example). Hersch is a master of the jazz ballad in the same way the late Gene Harris was the master of the blues. He is also an accomplished thematic composer as illustrated in his settings for Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass (Palmetto, 2005).
Like all jazz, Hersch’s best playing is live as testified by, In Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis (Palmetto, 2005) and Live at the Village Vanguard (Palmetto, 2003). His playing and arrangement style is characterized by precision and acute attention to tonal detail. While Fred Hersch is certainly a musical impressionist, his impressionism is digital.
Hersch has now left the field of improvisation for what he terms “Concert Music,” that is, “modern classical music.” Concert Music 2001-2006 contains the first fully notated music composed by Hersch. While the piano is central to all of the compositions herein, Hersch demonstrates a command of multiple musical styles.
Hersch’s “Three Character Studies” are moody romantic pieces that recall Liszt’s transcription of Schubertlieder – heavy left hand filigreed with ornate right hand triplets. “24 Variations on a Bach Chorale” (after “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” from St. Matthew Passion sounds roundly American in the same way that Virgil Thompson and Aaron Copland do in their respective treatments of familiar tunes.
The Bach variations show Hersch’s well anointed tonal horizon as he modulates harmonically, melodically, and in tempi. All of the variations remain distinctly recognizable. “Lyric Pieces for Trio” displays Hersch’s ability to compose foe ensembles, whetting the listener’s appetite for more elaborate Hersch compositions for larger ensembles. Hersh’s most intense Americana is reserved for his “Saloon Songs” which update the ragtime paradigm right into the 21st Century.
Track Listing:
Three Character Studies: No. 1. Nocturne for Left Hand Alone (for Sophia) - Natasha Paremski; No. 2. Little Spinning Song (for Penny) - Natasha Paremski; No. 3. Chorinho; (Study in Thirds and Sixths) (for Spike) Natasha Paremski; 24 Variations on a Bach Chorale - Blair McMillen; Lyric Piece - Gramercy Trio; Tango Bittersweet - Dorothy Lawson; Saloon Songs: No. 1. Four-Part Slow Drag - Blair McMillen; No. 2. The "Last Call" Waltz - Blair McMillen; No. 3. The Bowery Rag - Blair McMillen.



Fred Hersch & Norma Winstone
Songs and Lullabies



by Judith Schlesinger
This is a deeply romantic CD, but not the fluffy kind: its music and words are powerful and introspective, rather than syrupy or sentimental. Fred Hersch has recorded with many fine vocalists -- Janis Siegel, Meredith d'Ambrosio, Barbara Sfraga, and Luciana Souza among them -- but this is the first time these 11 compositions are all his own, with lyrics and vocals by Azimuth co-founder Norma Winstone. Her words are intelligent and poetic, perfectly fitted to Hersch's lush melodies, and she sings with soul and grace. The songs span two decades, from Hersch's '80s trademarks "Heartsong" and "Sarabande" to recent work like the transcendentally beautiful "Endless Stars" -- which becomes "Stars" here, and also appears on his recent trio CD, Live at the Village Vanguard. Master vibist Gary Burton joins the duo on three tracks; his interplay with Hersch on "A Wish" is particularly delicious, like two fast-flowing streams tumbling and sparkling in the sun. Winstone turns the familiar "Heartsong" into "Song of Life," a purely joyful celebration. Aside from the banquet of Hersch's incomparable lyricism, there's also humor in the Monk-ish "The Eighth Deadly Sin" (procrastination) where Winstone brilliantly describes the agony of approaching a creative deadline. Songs and Lullabies offers an intimate yet universal journey, full of wistful meditations on love; warmly recorded, it's a must for fans of Hersch and Winstone and aficionados of the highest levels of jazz piano and musicianship. This CD is life-affirming, inspiring, gorgeous, and highly recommended.



Fred Hersch
Live At Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 31




by Richard S. Ginell
Fred Hersch's first solo recital came about thanks to -- what else? -- the Maybeck Recital Hall series, which devotes Vol. 31 to his survey of several well-worn pop standards, a few jazz tunes, and a couple of originals. Luckily, Hersch likes to use a percussive form of counterpoint often enough to juice things up, a plan that launches "The Song Is You" and "Everything I Love" in unorthodox fashion. "In Walked Bud," an inventive takeoff on Monk's own stabbing manner, is also clever in its spiky, asymmetrical way. The opening and ending of "Haunted Heart" work well with a nostalgic drone in the bass, and Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin'" gets a gospel-influenced workout that fans of Keith Jarrett's early solo concerts would appreciate. As for the two Hersch originals, "Heartsong" is ebullient and romantic at the same time, while "Sarabande" concentrates solely upon lyricism. In other words, another classy, technically unimpeachable, spotlessly recorded outing in the Maybeck series.



The Fred Hersch Trio
Live At The Village Vanguard



By Mark Corroto
Track Listing:

Bemsha Swing; At the Close of the Day; Phantom of the Bopera; Endless Stars; Swamp Thang; Stuttering; Some Other Time; Days Gone By; Miyako/Black Nile; I'll Be Seeing You.
Personnel:

Fred Hersch: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.
Pianist Fred Hersch starts off this live set unaccompanied, playing a version of Thelonious Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” in a ‘smarty-pants-deconstructed-chamber-post-modernism’ style. As we all know, Monk has never been about high mindedness, and Hersch lets you know he knows just that. Just as his rhythm partners kick in, he shakes off Carnegie Hall for a true New York experience that is a basement known as the Village Vanguard. He plays a little back-and-forth with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Nasheet Waits, rolling up his sheets and getting his hands dirty. Ah yes, that’s Monk dancing beside the pianist and this trio is the real deal.
Hersch has taken on Mr. Monk before, with an entire disc’s worth of music. The 1998 Thelonious (Nonesuch) was at times more Bill Evans than Thelonious Monk. Likewise his Evanessence (Evidence 1998) was pure delight for fans. Where some of his studio dates seem too ‘perfect,’ all of his live discs Let Yourself Go (1999) and Live At Maybeck (1993) are vivacious and full of spirit.
These live sessions from May of last year find Hersch mixing things up to great effect. He knows how to heat things up as with the burning “Phantom Of The Bopera” where Nasheet Waits applies a massive drums solo. Then change into his sentimentalist Bill Evans clothes, plying the melancholy to Sammy Cahn’s “Some Other Time.” Throughout, the emotion is real. Hersch can take you from a tentative New Orleans funky “Swamp Thing” that turns into an all-out blues tune or plaster a hard bop wallop.
The trio covers Wayne Shorter’s “Miyako/Black Nile” with a pragmatic, matter-of-fact approach. Shorter’s intricate compositions only bare fruit in the hands of master musicians. Here, Hersch and company patiently wade through the tune with an exposed vulnerable touch segued by Waits’ rolling solo into a dexterous finale.
The set ends with the standard “I’ll Be Seeing You,” played with just enough syrup to make it tasteful. Hersch’s trio made magic in the center of the jazz universe for this recording.