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Fred Hersch

Biography

An acclaimed jazz pianist, composer, and educator, Fred Hersch is really a supremely gifted soloist with a complicated, yet unself-conscious method of playing specifications and his personal original compositions. Like a instructor, he matters both Brad Mehldau as well as the Poor Plus’ Ethan Iverson as previous students. As a new player, his nuanced design, affected by such giants as Ahmad Jamal, Expenses Evans, and Oscar Peterson, offers garnered him multiple Grammy nominations, and produced him a standard for contemporary jazz. Openly homosexual and diagnosed HIV-positive at age group 30, Hersch is really a vocal proponent for homosexual rights and Helps analysis and education. Blessed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1955, Hersch started playing traditional piano at age group four and was dabbling in composing prior to the age group of ten. Nevertheless, it had been while participating in Grinnell University in Iowa that he initial became thinking about jazz. He fell out of university and spent time gigging around Cincinnati before signing up at the brand new Britain Conservatory, where he examined with pianist and composer Jaki Byard. After graduating with honors in 1977, Hersch transferred to NEW YORK where he started playing nightly, having to pay his dues being a sideman. He also produced his documenting debut during this time period, showing up on such albums as Artwork Farmer’s Yama and Billy Harper’s Awakening, both in 1979. From 1980 to 1986, Hersch taught at the brand new England Conservatory. During this time period, he started leading his very own trio and functioning being a sideman with such luminaries as Chris Connor, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Toots Thielemans, Eddie Daniels, among others. He produced his record debut as head in 1984 using the trio record Horizons, offering bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron. That same calendar year, he matched with clarinetist Jane Ira Bloom for AS YOU; the to begin many collaborations between your duo. The ’80s continued to be a active period for the pianist, who documented thoroughly with others, and released his very own albums, including 1986’s Sarabande, 1988’s E.T.C., and 1989’s Heartsongs. In 1993, Hersch arrived as homosexual, announcing the info in his hometown throughout a advantage performance for Helps Volunteers of Cincinnati. At the same time, he also uncovered that he previously been getting treatment for Helps since his diagnoses with the condition in 1984. In the ’90s onward, Hersch provides continued to be a tireless proponent for both homosexual rights and Helps analysis and education. He provides produced advantage recordings, performed in various charity concerts, and provided keynote addresses at worldwide medical meetings. The ’90s had been also the beginning of a far more prolific innovative period for Hersch, who gained compliment for such produces as 1990’s Evanessence: Tribute to Costs Evans, 1992’s Dance at night, and 1994’s I Under no circumstances Informed You: Fred Hersch Has Johnny Mandel. You start with 1995’s Has Billy Strayhorn, Hersch constructed a sturdy group of albums on non-esuch Records, most of them having to pay tribute to his affects, including 1996’s Has Rodgers & Hammerstein and 1997’s Thelonious Monk-themed Thelonious. Likewise, 1998’s Tracks We Know discovered him investigating a lot of his preferred compositions alongside guitarist Costs Frisell. Within the 2000s, Hersch continued to be quite active, launching several extremely ambitious works like the three-disc Tracks Without Phrases in 2001 as well as the Walt Whitman-inspired task Leaves of Lawn, which featured efforts from vocalists Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry in 2005. For 2007’s Evening & the Music, Hersch came back to a far more close, much less conceptual trio environment. In 2008, Hersch created HIV-induced dementia, which still left him within a coma for just two a few months. Upon awaking, he underwent intensive rehabilitation to greatly help regain his capability to play piano. Pursuing his recovery, he released the bossa nova-themed single piano work Fred Hersch Takes on Jobim in ’09 2009. The trio documenting Whirl made an appearance on Palmetto this year 2010. Also this year 2010, Hersch was the main topic of a major content in THE BRAND NEW York Times Weekend Magazine entitled Large Actions: The Success of an excellent Jazz Pianist, by David Hadju. Hersch after that delivered two friend live albums using the 2011 single piano date Only in the Vanguard, adopted a year later on from the Grammy-nominated trio recording Alive in the Vanguard. 2013 also became a fruitful 12 months as he made an appearance on a minimum of three albums: Fun Home with pianist Benoit Delbecq, Just Many with trumpeter Ralph Alessi, and Free of charge Flying, a cooperation with guitarist Julian Lage. In 2014, Hersch received another Grammy nomination, for his trio recording, Floating. That same 12 months he released the Dvd and blu-ray My Coma Dreams, a 2011 efficiency of his multi-media stage present predicated on his coma knowledge. The live record Solo, recorded on the Windham Civic Middle Concert Hall in Windham, NY, implemented in 2015. In 2016, Hersch was the main topic of directors Charlotte Lagarde and Carrie Lozano’s documentary film, The Ballad of Fred Hersch.

Quick Facts


Full Name Fred Hersch
Profession Composer, Jazz Pianist
Education New England Conservatory of Music, Grinnell College
Nationality American
Awards Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada
Music Songs Free Flying, My One and Only Love, Child's Song, My Little Suede Shoes, Heartsong, Song Without Words #4: Duet, The Song Is You, Whirl, Someday My Prince Will Come, I Got Rhythm, Yesterdays, Volume One: Fred's Songs / Song without Words #3: Tango, Volume One: Fred's Songs / Song without Words #6: Waltz, Volume One: Fred's Songs / Song without Words #2: Ballad, Volume One: Fred's Songs / Song without Words #1: Aria, Volume One: Fred's Songs / Song without Words #5: The Moon's Lullaby, What Is This Thing Called Love?, Volume One: Fred's Songs / Song without Words #4: Duet, There Is No Greater Love, Let Yourself Go, Volume One: Fred's Songs / Child's Song, Evanessence, Volume Three: Cole Porter / I Concentrate on You, Volume Two: Jazz Tunes / Whisper Not, Volume Three: Cole Porter / So in Love, Volume Three: Cole Porter / Everytime We Say Goodbye, Volume Three: Cole Porter / Easy to Love, Volume Two: Jazz Tunes / Winter Sweet, Thirteen Ways, Volume Three: Cole Porter / All of You, Volume Two: Jazz Tunes / Fall, Volume Two: Jazz Tunes / Work
Albums Alone at the Vanguard, Red Square Blue: Jazz Impressions of Russian Composers, Sunday Night at the Vanguard, Songs without Words, Fred Hersch Plays Jobim, In Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis, Everybody's Song but My Own, Slow Hot Wind, Live at Jazz Standard, Thelonious: Fred Hersch Plays Monk, Personal Favorites, Sarabande, As One, Free Flying, ETC Plus One, Evanessence: A Tribute to Bill Evans, Trio + 2, Fred Hersch Plays Rodgers & Hammerstein, Only Many, Maybeck Recital Hall Series, Volume Thirty-One, Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce, Concerto Pour Harmonica, Dancing In The Dark, This We Know, Open Book, Live at the Village Vanguard, Songs & Lullabies, Passion Flower, Solo, Mirage, Make Someone Happy, Hersch, Fred: Point in Time, Short Stories, Whirl, Etc, Songs Without Words Volume 2: Jazz Tunes, Thirteen Ways, Let Yourself Go, Point In Time, The French Collection: Jazz Impressions of French Classics
Nominations Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo
Movies Side by Each


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Soundtrack

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Six by Sondheim 2013 TV Movie documentary arranger: "No One Is Alone"
No Place on Earth 2012 Documentary music: "The Cave Knows End Credit Song"
The Baxter 2005 performer: "Songs without Words: Aria" / writer: "Songs without Words: Aria"
Unbreakable 2000 performer: "Lotus Blossom" 1962

Music Department

Music Department

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Same Difference 2015 Documentary musician
No Place on Earth 2012 Documentary musician: piano, 'The Cave Knows'
'Side by Each' 2008 musician

Composer

Composer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
'Side by Each' 2008

Self

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
A Broadway Lullaby 2012 Documentary short Himself

Nominated awards

Nominated awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovieAward shared with
2015 Grammy Grammy Awards Best Improvised Jazz Solo For the song "You and the Night and the Music."
2015 Grammy Grammy Awards Best Jazz Instrumental Album For the album "Floating."


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