Fred Hersch Trio + ETHEL: “Breath By Breath”
The bulk of this project is a suite of eight movements The Refuge Suite. The individual pieces are inspired by and address many aspects of my 20-year insight mindfulness meditation practice. The composition titles are “Know That You Are” (as in the instruction “when you sit, know that you are sitting”), “Worldly Winds”, “Awakened Heart”, “Monkey Mind”, “Rising, Falling”, “Breath By Breath”, “Mara” (the god that tempted Buddha as he was trying to attain enlightenment) and “Begin Again”. There is also a new arrangement of my homage to Robert Schumann “Pastorale” and live concerts will also include music of Thelonious Monk among others. Album was released in January 2022 on Palmetto Records. Recent quartet collaborators include ETHEL.
Fred Hersch & Friends
For over 12 years, Fred Hersch garnered critical acclaim for his intimate duo invitation series at the Jazz Standard in New York. The series culminated at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in 2016, where the ten-time Grammy nominee enlisted an ensemble of world-class players to perform in a variety of combinations. The program has previously featured renowned vocalists and instrumentalists including Julian Lage, Anat Cohen, Kate McGarry, Miguel Zenón and Chris Potter among others.
Leaves of Grass: Words by Walt Whitman & Music by Fred Hersch
Featuring Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry with The Fred Hersch Ensemble. “There are few musicians in jazz — or anywhere else for that matter — more productive, curious and creative than pianist and composer Fred Hersch. “Leaves of Grass” is an eloquently orchestrated celebration of Walt Whitman’s poetry, vision and, above all else, humanity” says The Washington Post. The mid-size ensemble piece “Leaves of Grass,” for two voices has been performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, The Kimmel Center, Herbst Theater and numerous other major venues. The full-evening work is a “jazz oratorio” bringing Whitman’s timeless – and timely – words to life.
Fred Hersch Solo
An acclaimed and influential solo pianist, he has twelve solo recordings in his catalog including the two double-Grammy-nominated recordings Alone at the Vanguard and Open Book. His April 2024 release, Silent, Listening is a collaboration with legendary producer Manfred Eicher for the ECM label. All About Jazz has remarked that “when it comes to the art of solo piano in jazz, there are two classes of performers: Fred Hersch and everybody else” and The New York Times simply calls him “a master who plays it his way”. And Jazz Times said that “Solo Hersch is a complete, self-sufficient, uniquely pure art form”.
The Fred Hersch Trio
Through more than twelve albums, the Fred Hersch Trio has remained at the pinnacle of modern jazz, venerated as the epitome of thrilling interplay and dynamic spontaneity. The Wall Street Journal calls the trio “one of the major ensembles of our time,” while The New Yorker has applauded it for playing with “high lyricism and high danger.” They were named the #1 Jazz Group of the Year by DownBeat magazine. and appeared at major jazz festivals throughout Europe and the US and have regularly headlined rat the legendary Village Vanguard since 1977.
