Fred Hersch

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Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a contemporary American jazz pianist who has become a consistent and highly demanded performer on the international jazz scene.

Hersch began playing piano at a very young age, growing up in the North Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, attending Walnut Hills High School. He also had an early interest in mandolin. By age 12, Fred had written his first symphony. He studied at Grinnell College in the mid-1970s and began playing in jazz clubs in Cincinnati. He later graduated from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. His teachers included Sophia Rosoff. He moved to New York City in the late 1970s where he soon found a place playing with artists including Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Lee Konitz, Art Farmer, and Charlie Haden.[1]

Hersch soon began recording his own records and composing music. Although Hersch has played in a number of different instrumental combinations, he also plays as a solo performer, and many of his albums—such as Live at the Bimhuis (2005)--are solo recitals. In 2006 he was invited by club owner Lorraine Gordon to perform the first-ever solo piano booking at the legendary Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City. His album "Live at the Vanguard" won him two Grammy awards and he has gone on tour for this album, 2012-2013. Some of the many songs Hersch played included his own compositions such as "Jackalope" but he also has done multiple renditions of songs such as his "Doxy" by Sonny Rollins.

Hersch's also works as a vocal accompanist and has recently recorded duo work with Jay Clayton, Nancy King, and Karin Oberlin.

In 1986 he was diagnosed with HIV.[2] Since then, Hersch has campaigned and performed for several AIDS-related charities and causes. Along with Gary Burton and Andy Bey, Hersch is one of the few openly gay jazz musicians.[2]

He is also a music educator, having taught at the New School University,[1] Manhattan School of Music, Western Michigan University, and his alma mater, the New England Conservatory.

In February 2010, he was interviewed by Linus Wyrsch on The Jazz Hole for BreakThru Radio.[3]

Contents

Discography [edit]

As leader [edit]

  • Horizons (1984)
  • Sarabande (1986)
  • E.T.C. (1988)
  • Heartsongs (1989)
  • The French Collection (1989)
  • Short Stories (1989) with Janis Siegel
  • Evanessence: A Tribute to Bill Evans (1990)
  • Forward Motion (1991)
  • Red Square Blue: Jazz Impressions of Russian Composers (1992)
  • Dancing in the Dark (1992)
  • Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 31 (1993)
  • The Fred Hersch Trio Plays (1994)
  • I Never Told You: Fred Hersch Plays Johnny Mandel (1994)
  • Point in Time (1995)
  • Plays Billy Strayhorn (1995)
  • Beautiful Love (1995) with Jay Clayton
  • Slow Hot Wind (1995) with Janis Siegel
  • Passion Flower (1996)
  • Plays Rodgers & Hammerstein (1996)
  • Thelonious (1997)
  • The Duo Album (1997)
  • Thirteen Ways (1997)
  • Songs We Know (1998) with Bill Frisell
  • Let Yourself Go: Live at Jordan Hall (1999)
  • Focus (2000) with Michael Moore and Gerry Hemingway
  • Songs without Words (2002)
  • Live at the Village Vanguard (2003)
  • Songs and Lullabies (2003) with Norma Winstone and Gary Burton
  • Fred Hersch Trio + 2 (2004) with Ralph Alessi and Tony Malaby
  • Leaves of Grass (2005)
  • Live at the Bimhuis (2005)
  • Fred Hersch Trio Night and the Music (2007)
  • Concert Music 2001-2006 (2007)
  • Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra: Live at Jazz Standard (2009)
  • Fred Hersch Trio - Whirl (2010)
  • Fred Hersch Trio - Everybody's Song But My Own (January 2011)
  • Fred Hersch Alone At The Vanguard (March 2011)
  • Da Vinci - Fred Hersch and Nico Gori (March 2012)
  • Fred Hersch Trio - Alive at the Vanguard (September 2012)

As sideman [edit]

With Art Farmer

With Billy Harper

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Fred Hersch: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-10-31. 
  2. ^ a b Fries, Kenny (April 1, 2003). "Songs of Whitman" (– Scholar search). The Advocate. Retrieved 2007-11-21 [dead link][dead link]
  3. ^ Fred Hersch Interview with Linus Wyrsch - BreakThru Radio

External links [edit]

Authority control
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