Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and a 17-time Grammy nominee. He was the first person to play weeklong engagements as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City. He has written and recorded more than 75 original compositions.
Early life Hersch was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Jewish parents. He began playing the piano at age four, under the tutelage of Jeanne Kirstein. He began composing music at eight, and won national piano competitions starting at the age of ten.
Hersch first became interested in jazz while at Grinnell College in Iowa. He dropped out of school and started playing jazz in Cincinnati. He continued his studies at the New England Conservatory under Jaki Byard, attracting attention from the press ("a fine showcase for Fred Hersch") in a college recital."the third stream" (January 20, 1977) Bay State Banner, Boston On graduation, he became a jazz piano instructor at the college."Jazzman on Classic Path To Wider Audience: Pianist Fred Hersch" (July 9, 1989) San Francisco Chronicle p. 42
In his 2017 autobiography, Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz, Hersch talks about seeing Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Arkestra at Gilly's, a now-closed jazz club in Dayton, Ohio. He recalls being in the audience when bandleader Art Pepper kicked the pianist hired for the occasion off the stand and asked if there was anyone in the audience who could sit in—an offer Hersch took up, which essentially launched his career.
Career In 1977, Hersch moved to New York. One of his earliest professional engagements was with Art Farmer in Los Angeles in 1978. Jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote that Hersch "showed his ability as an accompanist and soloist at the out-of-tune piano"."Art Farmer Plays at Memory Lane" (November 9, 1978) Los Angeles Times p. H20 He played with Farmer again in 1981."Art Farmer Plays It Cool; Art Farmer - With Fred Hersch, Piano; Bob Bodely, Bass; And Billy Hart, Drums; At Tinker's" (September 26, 1981) The Boston Globe p.1 In 1982, the album A Work of Art (Art Farmer Quartet, Concord Jazz CJ-179), was released, with Hersch on piano, including two of Hersch's own compositions; Leonard Feather gave it 3½ stars."Jazz Album Briefs" (April 18, 1982) Los Angeles Times p. K59
In 1980, the Fred Hersch Trio played at B. Dalton Bookseller, one of many fringe events that were an offshoot of the Newport Jazz Festival."Going Out Guide" (June 30, 1980) The New York Times p. C.17 The next year, his trio played for singer Chris Connor, who was making a comeback after completing a recovery program for alcoholism."Chris Connor's Comeback" (January 16, 1981) The New York Times p. C1 Hersch also played at the Kool Jazz Festival that year,"10th Jazz Festival Goes Singing and Drumming In" (June 26, 1981) The New York Times p. C1 and with Joe Henderson in the New Jazz at the Public series."Joe Henderson in Sextet In Jazz at Public Series" (November 1, 1981) The New York Times p. A70
In 1983, Hersch played a duo session with bassist Ratzo Harris at the Knickerbocker Saloon, New York. The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Hersch is a romantic. He is openly involved in what he is playing and projects this involvement with body English and facial expressions that subtly underline the sense of his music. His lines often become gently billowing waves of sound, and he rises and falls, tenses and relaxes along with them.""Jazz Fred Hersch, Pianist" (March 26, 1983) The New York Times p. 1.19
In 1983–84, Hersch played many sessions with Jane Ira Bloom in several venues, and with whom he recorded the album, Mighty Lights."The Pop Life" (April 13, 1983) The New York Times"Jane Ira Bloom Plays in Fast Company" (April 15, 1983) Philadelphia Daily News"Here and There" (January 20, 1984) Philadelphia Daily News p. 43 In 1985, he played with the Jamie Baum Quartet."Regattabar to Launch 7-Nights-a-Week Jazz" (March 1, 1985) The Boston Globe
In 1986, he played with Toots Thielemans at the Great Woods jazz festival."Thielemans Whistles for Fun, Profit" (July 11, 1986) The Boston Globe He played with him in several sessions the following year,"AROUND TOWN Bridging the Seasons" (September 9, 1987) Newsday p.14Leonard Feather (September 21, 1987) "JAZZ REVIEWS THIELEMANS ON TOP", Los Angeles Times p. 5 and again in 1987, receiving special attention for his solos."Toots Thielemans Plays a Hot Jazz Harmonica" (February 5, 1987) The Boston Globe In 1986, he taught at Berklee College of Music."Schools Offer the Mechanical While Fostering the Spiritual" (July 13, 1986) Chicago Tribune p.8
He was the pianist for the Eddie Daniels quartet in 1987 and appeared on his album, To Bird with Love."Critic's Choice: Jazz" (May 17, 1987) The New York Times
In 1988, Hersch played in Somerville, Massachusetts with his quintet at the Willow Jazz Club. The Boston Globe described him as "an elegant, highly melodic player.""Fred Hersh Quintet at Willow Jazz Club" (September 16, 1988) The Boston Globe
In 1989, Hersch played with Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer and they recorded together in a studio set up in his home."A Solo Detour On this route, Manhattan Transfer's Janis Siegel's only harmony is with a piano" (June 4, 1989) Newsday His first solo piano recording came in 1993: Fred Hersch at Maybeck.
In 2006, Palmetto Records released the solo CD Fred Hersch in Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis,Fred Hersch (2005) Fred Hersch in Amsterdam : Live at the Bimhuis, Palmetto Records () and released his eighth solo disc, Fred Hersch Plays Jobim, in 2009.Fred Hersch (2009) Fred Hersch Plays Jobim, Sunnyside Communications ()
In 2024, Hersch played with Drew Gress and Joey Baron at the Teatro Mario Del Monaco, in Treviso, in North East of Italy. The concert was part of the festival Treviso Suona Jazz Festival.
Composing Hersch's own compositions feature prominently in nearly all of his concerts and recordings. He has received commissions from the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, the Doris Duke Foundation, the Miller Theatre at Columbia University, the Gramercy Trio and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. A disc of his through-composed works, Fred Hersch: Concert Music 2001-2006, was released by Naxos Records.
Many of Hersch's compositions have been transcribed by music publisher Edition Peters, including Valentine, Three Character Studies, Saloon Songs, and 24 Variations on a Bach Chorale.Dariusz Terefenko (2012) "JAZZ PIANO", Notes (New England Conservatory Notes) Vol. 68, No. 3
Hersch was awarded a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition. In the same year, he created Leaves of Grass (Palmetto Records), a large-scale setting of Walt Whitman's poetry for two voices (Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry) and an instrumental octet; it was presented in March 2005 at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall as part of a six-city U.S. tour."Songs of Whitman; Jazz pianist Fred Hersch crowns a lifetime of achievement with Leaves of Grass" (April 1, 2003) The Advocate Vol. 886, p. 50
Accompanist Hersch has worked with instrumentalists and vocalists in the worlds of jazz (Joe Henderson, Charlie Haden, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Jay Clayton, and Bill Frisell), classical music (Renée Fleming,Renée Fleming, soprano and Fred Hersch, piano - New York City (June 12, 2003) (Michael Palm Series) Broadway Cares, Events Archives Dawn Upshaw, Joshua Bell,Classical Action's Fifth Anniversary Celebration at the Brooklyn Academy of Music , featuring violinist Joshua Bell, pianists Fred Hersch and Ursula Oppens, dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones, bassist Edgar Meyer, the Orion String Quartet, clarinetist David Shifrin, soprano Dawn Upshaw, Ida Nevasayneva of Les Ballets Trockadero of Monte Carlo; hosted by Madeline Kahn and Nathan Lane - New York City (January 10, 1998) Christopher O'Riley, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg),Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin and Fred Hersch, piano - New York City (June 13, 200) Broadway Cares, Events Archives and Broadway (Audra McDonald). He has accompanied jazz vocalists such as Nancy King, Norma Winstone and Kurt Elling.
Hersch has taught at The New School and Manhattan School of Music, and conducted a Professional Training Workshop for Young Musicians at The Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall in 2008.
Awards and honors Académie Charles Cros Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in Composition, 2003 Coup de coeur for Alone at the Vanguard, 2011 Grand Prix du Disque for Alive at the Vanguard, 2012 Pianist of the Year, Jazz Journalists Association, 2011, 2016, 2018 Pianist of the Year, DownBeat magazine Critics' Poll, 2015 Artiste étranger de l'année, Jazz magazine in France, 2015 Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie du Jazz, Solo, 2015 Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts, Northern Kentucky University, 2015 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award 2016 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Grinnell College, 2016 Prix Honorem in Jazz and Coup de cœur jazz, 2017 Book of the Year about Jazz, Good Things Happen Slowly, Jazz Journalists Association, 2018 Hersch has been awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship, grants from Chamber Music America, the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and seven composition residencies at the MacDowell Colony.
Grammy Awards nominations Art Farmer's A Work of Art in 1983 and two of Eddie Daniels' albums with Hersch in 1986 and 1987 preceded Short Stories, a collaboration between Janis Siegel and Hersch, co-led and co-produced with arrangements by Hersch, that got a nomination for her vocal performance in 1989. In 1992 finally Dancing in the Dark, his seventh trio recording and second for Chesky Records, was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance. Hersch is one of the Grammy artists with the most nominations (17) without a win. 1992: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group for Dancing in the Dark 1995: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group for I Never Told You: Fred Hersch Plays Johnny Mandel 2005: Best Instrumental Composition for "Valentine" (on In Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis) 2011: Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Alone at the Vanguard, and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for "Work" 2013: Best Improvised Jazz Solo for "Song Without Words No.4: Duet" with Julian Lage 2014: Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Floating (as the Fred Hersch Trio), and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for "You and the Night and the Music" 2016: Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Sunday Night at the Vanguard, and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for "We See" 2017: Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Open Book, and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for "Whisper Not" 2018: Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Live in Europe and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for "We See" 2019: Best Instrumental Composition for Begin Again 2023: Best jazz vocal album for Alive at the Village Vanguard and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for But Not For Me
Critical response DownBeat magazine described Hersch as "one of the small handful of brilliant musicians of his generation." The New York Times described him as "singular among the trailblazers of their art, a largely unsung innovator of this borderless, individualistic jazz – a jazz for the 21st century."
Influence Hersch's influence has been widely felt on a new generation of jazz pianists, from former Hersch students including Brad Mehldau, Ethan Iverson, Sullivan Fortner, Aaron Diehl and Dan Tepfer to his contemporary Jason Moran, who said: "Fred at the piano is like LeBron James on the basketball court. He's perfection."
Personal life Illness In 1993, Hersch came out as gay and that he had been treated for HIV since 1984. He fell into a coma in 2008 for two months. When he regained consciousness, he had lost muscular function as a result of his long inactivity and could not play the piano. After rehabilitation, he was able to play again. In 2011, he performed My Coma Dreams, a stage show written and directed by Herschel Garfein about the contrast between dreams and reality.
Charity work