Discography - Part 8

Rénee Fleming with Fred Hersch & Bill Frisell
Haunted Heart



By Stephen Latessa
Track Listing:

Haunted Heart; River; When Did You Leave Heaven; You've Changed; Answer Me; My Cherie Amour; In My Life; The Moon's A Harsh Mistress; Wozzeck/Improvisation/The Midnight Sun; Liebst du um Schonheit; My One And Only Love/This Is Always; Cancao do Amor; Psyche; Hard Times Come Again No More.
Personnel:

Renee Fleming: vocals; Fred Hersch: piano; Bill Frisell: guitar.

My utter and lamentable ignorance of opera leaves me unable to fully grasp the esteem with which Renée Fleming is held. However, on Haunted Heart, Fleming takes temporary leave of the opera world for pop pastures. Such crossover attempts constitute a mini-genre, albeit one with an almost unbroken string of ill-advised efforts (see the Placido Domingo/John Denver summit Perhaps Love). Inevitably the marketing campaign will urge the undecided buyer to "experience love by plunking down a few bucks for a disc packaged with high-gloss glamour shots of the artist reclining on an artfully arranged swell of throw pillows.
Haunted Heart features the requisite photos, but more importantly the presence of two ringers in guitarist Bill Frisell and pianist Fred Hersch. Frisell in particular shines with his work on a perfectly realized, old-fashioned rendition of "When Did You Leave Heaven. Equally accomplished, but existing on an opposite emotional spectrum is his atmospheric, devastating work on "Answer Me.
Fleming's work on the album's pop-oriented material is unsurprisingly technically flawless, but also somehow off. She sings in a deep, husky voice far removed from her more familiar soprano and even she seems sometimes surprised by the novelty. Her performance is somehow both showy and stiff, straining to add some "authentic grit and managing to evoke exactly the opposite.
It is not surprising that her reading of Mahler's "Liebst du um Schonheit is the most comfortable performance on the album. She sounds at home, hitting every line with precision. Also stirring is her take on Stephen Foster's classic "Hard Times Come Again No More, which benefits from a less histrionic approach—until nearly the end, when there is a more concerted effort to belt it out.
Haunted Heart is a fine document of identity crisis. The shift from classic pop standards to classical art songs, folk laments, and '60s/'70s singer-songwriter fare seems less evidence of eclecticism than uncertainty. The changes in Fleming's voice depending on the material further underscore her lack of comfort with most of what she is attempting. No doubt she is a great talent, but trying to be what she is not does her no favors.


Jeri Brown & Fred Hersch
Mirage

by Scott Yanow
On her first recording as a jazz singer, Jeri Brown really stretches herself. Joined by pianist Fred Hersch and bassist Daniel Lessard, Brown interprets everything from a swinging "No Moon at All," "Good Bait," and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" to "The Look of Love" and a long free improvisation duet with Hersch called "Ten Twenty" (after its length). Brown is best when she is caressing a warm ballad, for on the freer material her singing gets quite abrasive and is sometimes difficult to take. She would temper her excesses in future years and become one of the top jazz singers around, so Mirage is mostly recommended as the beginning point for this top-notch singer.


Leny Andrade & Fred Hersch
Maiden Voyage



by Ken Dryden
Leny Andrade is considered one of the top Brazilian singers, but she has had relatively little exposure in North America. Fred Hersch, the pianist on these 1993 studio sessions, was introduced to her as she joined Toots Thielemans on-stage during a South American tour and has sung her praises ever since; joining them are bassist David Dunaway and drummer Hélio Schiavo. Her husky but consistently swinging vocals carry a delightful take of "This Can't Be Love," where she also scats up a storm. Hersch's touching arrangement of "My Funny Valentine" is perfect for her dramatic interpretation of this timeless ballad. She scats her way through a stunning take of "Maiden Voyage." But the main focus of this release is on music from Latin America, in which she obviously excels after several decades as a professional vocalist, ranging from "Dindi" to more recent works like Ivan Lins' "Vela Icadas." This Chesky CD is one of the few opportunities for those living outside South America to hear this seasoned vocalist.


Janis Siegel & Fred Hersch
Slow Hot Wind



by Scott Yanow
Singer Janis Siegel (taking time off from The Manhattan Transfer) and pianist Fred Hersch make for a complementary team on this CD, supporting and occasionally challenging each other. The sources of the compositions they interpret (many are of fairly recent vintage) stretch from Sting and Stevie Wonder to Johnny Mercer and there are quite a few middle-of-the-road pop ballads although Siegel gets to break loose on "Moon and Sand." But overall this well-played and often impressionistic music is consistently melancholy, a bit dull and often outside of jazz without all that much improvisating taking place.


Janis Siegel & Fred Hersch
Short Stories



by Ken Dryden
Although singer Janis Siegel is best known as a member of the Manhattan Transfer, her recordings under her own name, particularly those made with pianist Fred Hersch, best showcase her abilities. This is their first of several collaborations between the two, and it concentrates more heavily on modern pop songs rather than standards. The haunting bittersweet ballad "Invisible War" (written by singer Julia Fordham) features an emotional vocal by "Siegel" that is enriched by Hersch's inventive accompaniment. They are just as effective interpreting works by James Taylor, Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell, or Judy Collins. The standards include a moving renditions of "The Meaning of the Blues" and "Never Let Me Go." Jazz compositions include David Frishberg's lively "Zanzibar" and Hersch's lovely "A Dance for Me (Rain Waltz)," which is a bit overdone with an overdubbed backing vocal. This 1989 CD has been out of print for some time, but it is well worth seeking.


Jane Ira Bloom & Fred Hersch
As One



by Scott Yanow
The inventive soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom performs a set of duets with the adaptable and complementary pianist Fred Hersch. They play two originals apiece (including Hersch's "Janeology"), collaborate on "Inside," and perform a song apiece by Wayne Shorter ("Miyako") and Alec Wilder. The improvisations are generally melodic but unpredictable, coherent but fairly free. Worth several listens.


Nancy King & Fred Hersch
Live At Jazz Standard



by Ken Dryden
It's no wonder that Fred Hersch had the confidence to tape his initial meeting with Nancy King. King is one of the best jazz vocalists of her generation, though she is unjustly not as widely recognized as a number of major-label artists who don't begin to compare with her. King and Hersch put together a wide-ranging program at the Jazz Standard, frequently extending their interpretations well beyond the expectations for a vocal/piano duo. Hersch, who has long since proved his abilities as a solo accompanist for singers (especially Janis Siegel), is never less than brilliant throughout the evening, though the singer is equally impressive, an adventurous spirit who is unafraid of taking chances. King's expressive voice is full of humor in the swinging take of "Ain't Misbehavin'," while she scats up a storm in Antonio Carlos Jobim's neglected gem "If You Never Come to Me." She's equally inspired as she revives once popular standards that have fallen out of favor like "There's a Small Hotel" and "Everything Happens to Me." But the finale clearly steals the show as King devours "Four" whole, throwing caution to the wind as she playfully adds her own twists to Jon Hendricks' vocalese setting of Miles Davis' famous tune. This beautifully recorded set is a tribute to the musicianship of both artists, as well as the foresight of Fred Hersch to request that the soundboard operator record it without notifying Nancy King in advance.