 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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