Fred Hersch © Peter Carni

Winner of a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition, performer, arranger, composer, and educator Fred Hersch began playing piano as a four-year-old in Cincinnati. His lifelong interest in popular song dates back to his family’s collections of Broadway original cast albums and his grandmother's sheet music. Despite his formal training in classical repertoire, at an early age he was already experimenting with improvisation and received his first training in jazz on the bandstands of Cincinnati. At the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Hersch studied with Jaki Byard among others, then moved to New York where he quickly became a first-call player. As a sideman, he appeared with saxophonists Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, and Jane Ira Bloom; flugelhornist Art Farmer; harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans; vibraphonist Gary Burton; and bassists Sam Jones and Charlie Haden.

Over the past twenty years, Fred Hersch’s numerous recordings have included his work with in solo, duo, and trio formats; in tributes to Monk, Strayhorn, Evans and other muses; and in both small and larger ensembles exploring free improvisation. His classical roots have not been overlooked—recently he has toured with concert pianist Christopher O'Reilly in a program entitled "Heard Fresh: Music for Two Pianos," and has combined talents with pianist Jeffrey Kahane and violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, as well as sopranos Renée Fleming and Dawn Upshaw; he also has appeared as a soloist with orchestras across the U.S. and Europe. Honors in addition to his Guggenheim Fellowship have included grants from The National Endowment for the Arts and Meet the Composer, four composition residencies at the prestigious MacDowell Colony, and the Gay and Lesbian American Music Award (GLAMA)—four times. Teaching has always been a priority for Fred Hersch. A faculty member at the New England Conservatory for ten years, he has taught at The New School and Manhattan School of Music and is currently a visiting professor at Western Michigan University. Among his students are many who have become star performers themselves, including Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson of the Bad Plus.

In addition to acclaimed trio releases on Palmetto, Hersch completed his Leaves of Grass project in 2005, a large-scale work setting Walt Whitman's poetry to music for two voices (Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry) and instrumental octet; the Palmetto recording appeared on numerous “best of the year” lists. Last year, he also appeared on a duo recording with opera star Renee Fleming (Haunted Heart, Decca), and last winter released a highly acclaimed solo recording, Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis (Palmetto). Earlier in 2006, he became the first pianist to have a solo week at the Village Vanguard.

Drew Gress © Jimmy Katz

Bassist/composer Drew Gress has become a fixture on the modern jazz scene. His early career was centered in the Washington, DC area, where he played with Marc Copeland and later Gary Peacock. After settling in New York, Gress began long-standing collaborations with Dave Douglas and Tim Berne. A founding member of the cooperative quartet, Joint Venture, Gress currently leads a New York-based quartet, Jagged Sky, performing his original compositions. He has also performed with the Paul Smoker Trio, Fred Hersch Trio, Dave Douglas’ String Group, Tim Berne's Paraphrase, Andy Laster's Hydra, Erik Friedlander's Chimera, and the Lynne Arriale Trio. Of his recording Spin & Drift (2001, Premonition Records), Thomas Conrad, Downbeat, “a superbly articulate bassist…but his primary interest is composition and arrangement and collective concept.” His 2005 release, Black Butterflies (Premonition), was cited on many “best of the year” lists.

Drummer Eric McPherson had an auspicious beginning. Named after Eric Dolphy by godparents, Broadway dancer Barbara Alston and bassist Richard Davis, he was exposed to dance and music from infancy by his mother Saundra, a dancer/choreographer. Through her network he met percussionists Max Roach, Michael Carvin, Charles Moffett, and Freddie Waits who became his first musical influences. Carvin became his first teacher when he formally started drum studies at age 12. Attending the famed LaGuardia High School for the Arts, Eric excelled and earned a full scholarship to the Hartt School of Music’s Jackie McLean Institute at the University of Hartford. He ended up joining McLean for a fifteen-year mentorship, earning his nickname “E-Mac.” Over his career, McPherson has played with such jazz stars as Andrew Hill, Pharoah Sanders, Richard Davis, Claudia Acuña, Avishai Cohen, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Jason Moran and Greg Osby.

In any configuration, Fred Hersch is a must-see/must-hear performer. With a stellar trio and the serious ambience of the Village Vanguard, this is a residency that demands the attention of any fan of modern melodic jazz.

The Fred Hersch Trio performs at the Village Vanguard in Manhattan, 178 Seventh Ave South, on September 19-24. Visit www.villagevanguard.com for reservations and information. Hersch takes his solo tour to Europe in October. More about Fred Hersch at www.fredhersch.com

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