"Fred Hersch, one of the poet laureates of modern jazz piano, has also proven to be one of the most durable and forward-moving of any artist, on any arts scene." — Andrea Canter, Jazz Police

"…one of the finest piano trios of our day."
— The Boston Globe

"Alive is actually Hersch's third recording from the Vanguard, following Live (2003) and Alone (2011). It's quite evident that when the pianist descends those well-traveled stairs into the Vanguard, magic happens…it´s pure Hersch at his brilliant best."
— Scott Albin, Jazz Times

"Pianist Fred Hersch reaches some rarefied heights on this wise trio recording."
— Karl Stark, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Vibrant, spontaneous and filled with varied emotions, Hersch´s latest recording captures the sound of a great artist, alive, well and striving."
— Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen

"Fred Hersch is one of the most formidably complete piano improvisers playing today." — John Fordham, The Guardian (UK)

****1/2 Stars — Sean Brady, Downbeat Magazine

"Fred Hersch's new double-disc album (on the Palmetto label) might be called Alive at the Vanguard, instead of the customary Live at . . . for two reasons. First, it's a declaration that Hersch, who's had HIV-positive for many years and not long ago slipped into a coma for six months, is alive. Second, this music is alive: fire-breathing with adventure, dance, spirits of all sorts.
His two post-coma albums before this one, Alone at the Vanguard and Whirl, while strong, had the feel, especially in retrospect, of recovery projects. The new one is something else, the work of a pianist—an artist—at peak powers. It's Hersch's best album, I think, since his 1999 live solo breakthrough, Let Yourself Go.
The jazz world is flush with great pianists these days, more so than at any time in
a half-century, and Hersch, at 56, surely ranks among the top tier—along with Keith Jarrett and Jason Moran—and may be peerless in his dexterity with rhythm and rubato. No living jazz pianist is so adept, I think, at stretching and compressing the pace, and space, of a musical passage, and he does this not as a display of virtuosity but as a journey through a song, so seamlessly immersive, it's as if, for the time he's carving its contours, nothing else in the world exists."
— Fred Kaplan, Stereophile

"A superb statement from one of the most respected pianists in jazz."
— Matthew Kessel, New York City Jazz Record

"The unfalteringly elegant jazz pianist Fred Hersch has recorded worthwhile albums at the Village Vanguard before, and his latest - "Alive at the Vanguard," a two-CD set recorded in February and released on Palmetto - chronicles an especially strong engagement by his trio with the drummer Eric McPherson and the bassist John Hébert."
— Nate Chinen, The New York Times

"This is a generous album in content and spirit, from three players who really have got it right."
— Larry Taylor, All About Jazz

"Hersch's music is as demanding and distinctive as ever - he clearly trusts the intuitive rapport of this band, and they all belie the polished surfaces of their performances with quicksilver spontaneity. This not only creates a wonderful tension but also gives you the exciting feeling that, from one moment to the next, almost anything could happen." 
— Peter Margasak, The Chicago Reader

"Captured in the heat of creative ferment at the Village Vanguard, the sanctified venue that has long served as the pianist´s second home, Hersch´s trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson displays all the rhythmic daring, preternatural interplay, harmonic sophistication and passionate lyricism that makes it one of the era´s definitive ensembles. Captured in the heat of creative ferment at the Village Vanguard, the sanctified venue that has long served as the pianist´s second home, Hersch´s trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson displays all the rhythmic daring, preternatural interplay, harmonic sophistication and passionate lyricism that makes it one of the era´s definitive ensembles."
— Jazz In New York

"Anyone who thinks the jazz piano trio is dead, or that jazzers should move on from standards, should probably get a load of how attentive and enthusiastic the Vanguard's audiences behave in the presence of both…his playing is probably more intrepid than it has been at any time in his career."
— K. Leander Williams, The Village Voice

"Everything here is consummately thought out and in the moment: arguably the best piano jazz album of 2012."
— Alan Young, Lucid Culture

"In an interview for Jazz Times in 2003, Fred Hersch talked about why he loves the Village Vanguard: ´When you play very quietly, it has a presence throughout the entire room. There´s a certain kind of stillness, a hush, that you don´t get anywhere else.´ But this new two-CD set, his third recording at the Vanguard, is not hushed. It is audacious and extravagant."
— Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times

"Hersch has just released one of the best recordings of a prolific career…the music bristles with a spirit of invention, its substantive harmonic content giving weight to the proceedings., while Hersch's mercurial interactions with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson keep listeners on edge."
— Howard Reich, The Chicago Tribune

"The "Alive" part of the disc's title may, in part, be a celebration of Hersch's recovery from a life-threatening eight-week coma in 2008; or, perhaps, it is an acknowledgment of his renewed focus and enlivened sense of freedom, the positive outcome of his brush with death. But this certainly is his finest trio outing." — Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

"Hersch has just released one of the best recordings of a prolific career…the music bristles with a spirit of invention, its substantive harmonic content giving weight to the proceedings, while Hersch's mercurial interactions with bassist John Hebert and drummer Eric McPherson keep listeners on edge."
— Howard Reich, The Chicago Tribune

"One of jazz´s finest pianists…the players combine so effortlessly and gracefully that the music achieves a truly rare apotheosis which we hear as unified whole." — George Kanzler, Hot House

"On this live set, Hersch is spontaneous, carefree, often humorous, even devil-may-care, and also forceful and authoritative. He plays with complete freedom of expression—whatever comes to mind, out it comes, with no regard for rules or conventions. He is currently one of jazz´s most refreshing creators."
— Amy Duncan, Jazz History Online

"An epic work." 5 Stars."
— Brent Black, Critical Jazz

"Captured in the heat of creative ferment at the Village Vanguard, the sanctified venue that has long served as the pianist´s second home, Hersch´s trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson displays all the rhythmic daring, preternatural interplay, harmonic sophistication and passionate lyricism that makes it one of the era´s definitive ensembles. Captured in the heat of creative ferment at the Village Vanguard, the sanctified venue that has long served as the pianist´s second home, Hersch´s trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson displays all the rhythmic daring, preternatural interplay, harmonic sophistication and passionate lyricism that makes it one of the era´s definitive ensembles."
— Jazz In New York

"Alive at the Vanguard…is a powerful reminder of why Hersch stands among the truly elevated artists in modern music. If you want a working definition of the jazz piano trio, circa early 21st century, start here."
— Neil Tesser, Chicago Examiner

"Fred Hersch is a jazz pianist without comparison." Time Herald-Record
"Hersch's music bristles with crisp interplay, is ripe with fine flights of melodic invention and displays the depth as well as the breadth of Hersch's musical mind. This is music that resonates long after the applause has dies down; this is music that is both exciting and soul-satisfying." — Richard Kamins, Steptempest.com

"…a poet of the keyboard with an unerring ability to get inside a tune and reveal its secrets…a supremely gifted trio in full and joyous flight, attuned to every nuance in the music, conscious of, but not constrained by, the ghosts that haunt the stage."
— Irish Times

"…remarkably fluent and unified…extravagantly gorgeous."
— Richard Oyama, Jazz Advance

"Hersch is simply one of the most resourceful, sensitive and versatile jazz pianists on the planet."
— London Jazz Review

"In this glowing collaboration with John Hébert on bass and Eric McPherson on drums, the artists feel every note and beat in a glorious harmony of spirit. Hersch is, quite simply, an astonishing pianist."
— Janelle Gelfand, The Cincinnati Exquirer

"Alive at the Vanguard delivers a sophisticated sound from musicians at the top of their game; a virtuosic and stylish recording in front of an appreciative live audience at the famous West Village landmark. The performance by Hersch´s trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson is full of surprises, twists and turns that fascinate to the end of this double album."
— Anya Wasserman, Arts and Culture Maven Blog

"Hersch makes his piano "sing" with strong harmonic sense; you can feel his distinct rhythmic moves in your body, and he´s got technique, based on years of classical training, that has no bounds. When his piano sings, my heart soars like a bird".
— Stanley Fefferman, Opus One

"Nothing like coming out of a two month coma and re-establishing your chops with a double album that's nothing short of a roaring fire. Symmetrically pacing itself with seven originals, seven classics and four from the classic song-bag, this trio is smoking throughout with Hersch showing the vigor and presence that any of the piano masters displayed in their times."
— Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap

"A master who plays it his way." — Ben Ratliff, The New York Times
 
"...the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade or so." — Tad Hendrikson, Vanity Fair
 
"...a pianist, composer and conceptualist of rare imaginative power." - Nate Chinen, The New York Times
 
“Hersch’s work has developed an intensity of intelligence and emotional directness unparalleled among his peers.”  — Steve Futterman, The New Yorker 
 
"Fred Hersch has earned special acclaim for his work as an unaccompanied soloist capable of building a mesmerizing intensity across the span of an entire set. His latest album, Alone at the Vanguard, demonstrates this knack." Time Out New York
 
"He's as cutting-edge as any of the younger lions yet as true to the melody and bop tradition as any of the elder statesmen."  — Will Friedwald, The Wall Street Journal
 
"Hersch is in a musical league all his own." - Jon Regan, Keyboard Magazine
 
"Hersch is consistently able to excavate deep emotions from the wellspring of timeless beauty, ancient traditions, and always the true spirit of modern jazz."  — Michael G. Nastos, Billboard
 
“...a modern master.” — Ted Panken, Downbeat
 
"Solo Hersch is a complete, self-sufficient, uniquely pure art form." — Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times
 
“Singular among the trailblazers of their art, a largely unsung innovator of this borderless, individualistic jazz—a jazz for the 21st century—is the pianist and composer Fred Hersch.”
—  David Hajdu, The New York Times Sunday Magazine
 
"Fred Hersch, one of the poet laureates of modern jazz piano, has also proven to be one of the most durable and forward-moving of any artist, on any arts scene." - Andrea Carter, Jazz Police
 
"...specializes in high lyricism and high danger."   — The New Yorker
 
"...one of the small handful of brilliant musicians of his generation.” — Fred Bouchard, Downbeat
 
"Fred Hersch has earned special acclaim for his work as an unaccompanied soloist capable of building a mesmerizing intensity across the soan of an entire set.  His latest album,  Alone at the Vanguard, demonstrates this knack."  Time Out New York

 
"...one of the great masters of jazz piano." — David Adler, New York City Jazz Record Review
 
“Mr. Hersch has honed a solo piano concept second to none in jazz.” — Ben Ratliff, The New York Times 
"... jazz does not get any better." — Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen
 
"...truly transcendant." — Bob Blumenthal, The Boston Globe
 
“Few jazz pianists have ever struck as beguiling a balance between technique, feeling, insight and imagination...Hersch’s engagement with each of these songs is so complete that he evokes the sort of secret meanings words cannot.” — Ed Hazell, Jazziz
 
"...a fervent force to be reckoned with." — John Regen, Keyboard Magazine
 
"Hersch improvises with the sharp conceptual clarity of a classical composer; instead of merely skimming atop the familiar chord changes of standard songs, he forges them into rigorously structured, highly personal re-creations.” — Terry Teachout, The New York Times
 
"Hersch has remarkably produced a lasting legacy of performances, recordings, and compositions that represent the highest level of musical achievement—works unrivaled in their beauty, imagination, and complexity...a clarity and musical genuis of the highest order. — Victor Schermer, All About Jazz
 
“There isn’t a false note--technically or emotionally--on the album, a tribute to Hersch’s unerring ability to play music that is as intelligent as it is touching, as virtuosic as it is swinging.” — Don Heckman,  Los Angeles Times

 
“Solo piano is a damn near impossible feat, yet Mr. Hersch seems born to it.” — Joseph Hooper,  The New York Observer

 
“A pristine pianist with a poet’s soul--a pair of qualities that combine to especially dazzling effect” — Joan Anderman, The Boston Globe

 
“A brilliant technician, a thoughtful, elegant improviser and an artist with a curious ear.” — Fernando Gonzalez,  The Miami Herald

 
“Hersch combines a crystalline touch with soaring lyricism and breathtaking harmonic sophistication.” — Andrew Gilbert,  San Jose Mercury News

 
“The beauty of Hersch’s playing lies in how he honors Monk’s dictums while avoiding Monk’s solutions. Only the most substantial and self-assured of players can speak their own minds while using the words of others.”  — Steve Futterman, The New Yorrker

 
“Hersch has a track record of staying true to himself and making records that are worth listening to and owning.” — David Zych, Jazziz
 
“...one of the most prolific and thoughtful players around.” — Josef Woodard, Entertainment Weekly
 
“...a poet of a pianist.” — Whitney Balliett,  The New Yorker

 
“Hersch has become a wise player, with a melodic sense that makes his most technical passages accessible yet uncompromising...an artist enamored of the gestures of music.” — Sylvia Chan, San Francisco Bay Guardian

 
“A quiet, unassuming monster of a pianist.”   — New York Magazine

 
“Hersch's nearly perfect piano playing...has a magical sense of time and space. He lives the song.” — Bradley Parker-Sparrow, CD Review
 
“...a pianist of unquestioned distinction...his piano solos revealed bottomless reservoirs of imagination and sensitivity.”  — Ernie Santosuosso, The Boston Globe
 
“...Hersch steps into the front rank of today's pianists.” — Neil Tesser,  USA Today

 
“...the broad, full-bodied piano playing of Fred Hersch...provides an open excitement that is exceptionally effective.” — John S. Wilson, The New York Times
 
“...a constantly inventive soloist.” — Leonard Feather, The Los Angeles Times
 
“Hersch is masterful--a strong yet controlled keyboard touch, a knowing use of the full keyboard and an impeccable rhythmic and harmonic sense.” — Phil Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner
 
“Hersch has arrived. It shows in his repertoire, his touch, his sound, and his growing audience.” — Stuart Troup,  New York Newsday

 
“...one of the leading lights of this generation's pianists.”
— Fred Bouchard, Jazz Times
 
“one of the most sensitive and genuinely lyrical players in jazz” — Bob Blumenthal, The Atlantic Monthly
 
“...showed himself to be an astute, responsive, and authoritative player...consistently inventive.” — Richard M. Sudhalter, The New York Post
 
“...Fred Hersch is a gas!”  — Don Nelson, The New York Daily News

"Fred Hersch has earned special acclaim for his work as an unaccompanied soloist capable of building a mesmerizing intensity across the span of an entire set. His latest album, Alone at the Vanguard, demonstrates this knack." Time Out New York