Fred Hersch, the American one-man piano orchestra, is 60 this month. Prominent in the celebrations of the master who can suggest Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau (a former pupil) rolled together, is the release of this solo album, recorded live in a Catskills church, and interpreting classics including Caravan, Thelonious Monk’s In Walked Bud and Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, as well as a sumptuous original dedication to Schumann and an impassioned waltz that never stops living up to its title of Whirl. Hersch is a traditionalist melodically and rhythmically (he rarely plays funk, or sacrifices rich embroidery for modern minimalism), but he sounds contemporary because he’s an improviser, and because his heart’s so exuberantly in his work. Dazzling counterpoint peppers Jobim’s Olha Maria and O Grande Amor, Caravan’s melody is picked out in light, dancing-on-tiptoe touches, In Walked Bud combines Monk’s lurching stomp with swing-piano amiability and razor-sharp precision, and an exquisite, quietly transported, and eventually uplifting account of Both Sides Now is one of the great versions of the song. Happy birthday, Mr Criminally Underrated Hersch.
