Fred Hersch©Andrea Canter

It is often noted that tragedy and trauma can be the source of exceptional creativity. It must be true. Ask Fred Hersch. In 2008, the three-time Grammy nominated pianist/composer spent two months in a coma triggered by AIDS-related complications, and much of the year unable to function independently, let alone perform. His ultimate return to touring, composing and recording has been nothing short of miraculous, including solo stints at the Vanguard and releases of magical music (including 2009’s Plays Jobim, 2010’s Whirl and 2011’s Alone at the Vanguard). Now Fred will premiere an epic, multi-media work based on his recollections of 8 specific dreams during his comatose period, a musical score with libretto by opera director Herschel Garfein (Elmer Gantry). The first performances take place this weekend (May 7-8) at the Kasser Theater of Montclair State University in New Jersey. 

Since his first appearances as leader and soloist nearly twenty-five years ago, Fred Hersch has earned critical accolades as: “a master who plays it his way" (Ben Ratliff,  The New York Times); “a pristine pianist with a poet’s soul--a pair of qualities that combine to especially dazzling effect" (Joan Anderman, The Boston Globe); "a brilliant technician, a thoughtful, elegant improviser and an artist with a curious ear” (Fernando Gonzalez, The Miami Herald); “...one of the leading lights of this generation's pianists” (Fred Bouchard, Jazz Times); “one of the most sensitive and genuinely lyrical players in jazz” (Bob Blumenthal, The Atlantic Monthly); "...a constantly inventive soloist” (Leonard Feather, The Los Angeles Times); and simply, “...a poet of a pianist.”(Whitney Balliett, The New Yorker). 

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-five years, Fred Hersch’s numerous recordings have included work in solo, duo, trio and sextet formats; in tributes to Monk, Strayhorn, Evans, Jobim and other muses; and in both small and larger ensembles exploring free improvisation. His classical roots have not been overlooked—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 have included grants from The National Endowment for the Arts and Meet the Composer, multiple composition residencies at the prestigious MacDowell Colony, a Guggenheim Fellowship 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. 

In 2006, Hersch became the first pianist to have a solo week at the Village Vanguard. Although well-known for his trio recordings and tours, he has recently worked with a larger improvisational ensemble dubbed The Pocket Orchestra. He released his seventh solo recording (Fred Hersch Plays Jobim) to wide acclaim in summer 2009, described by the New York Times as “one of his deepest records.” Whirl followed in 2010, with Alone at the Vanguard (from 2009 solo sessions) in early 2011. Fred is a nominee for the 2011 Jazz Journalists Association’s “Jazz Pianist of the Year.”  

First diagnosed as HIV Positive in the mid 80s and “out” since the early 90s, Fred Hersch has been an ardent spokesman and fund raiser for AIDS awareness and services. In a recent interview for the SF Gate, he noted that “I've become the den mother for gay jazz musicians and a lot of musicians with AIDS...And for years I've talked about the value of being out, particularly as an artist, so you're not compartmentalizing your life and worrying about who knows what...” Fred’s life, music and struggle with AIDS have been documented in the 2008 film, Let Yourself Go: The Lives of Fred Hersch. 

“My Coma Dreams” is not the first time Fred Hersch has approached an expanded work. One of  his most acclaimed recordings (and live performances) was the 2005 Leaves of Grass project, a large-scale suite setting Walt Whitman's poetry to music for two voices (Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry) and instrumental octet; the resulting Palmetto recording appeared on numerous “best of the year” lists. For “My Coma Dreams,” in addition to Garfein’s libretto, Hersch enlisted the talents of animation and graphic designer Sarah Wickliffe; actor Michael Winther who will play, sing and narrate a dozen characters; fellow jazz artists trumpeter Ralph Alessi, saxophonist Adam Kolker, percussionist John Hollenbeck and bassist Jon Hébert. The orchestra will also include a string section and Hersch himself. “It’s what they call a ‘festival piece,’” notes Hersch. “There’s too much music for it to be classified as a theater piece, and to much theater for it to be a musical piece. It’s a personal work that delves into both the dream world and the real world. There’s two situations intersecting: one charts my illness through the words of those closest to me, the other, my own dream-reality state.” 

“My Coma Dreams” will be performed May 7 (8 pm) and May 8 (3 pm) at the Kasser Theater (1 University Ave, Montclair NJ); tickets www.peakperfs.org. Other performances will be scheduled in San Francisco, Ann Arbor and New York. 
 
 

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