Fred Hersch

At 68 years old, Fred Hersch physical status not available right now. We will update Fred Hersch's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

In 1977, Hersch moved to New York. One of Fred Hersch's earliest professional engagements was with Art Farmer in Los Angeles in 1978. Jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote that he "showed his ability as an accompanist and soloist at the out-of-tune piano". He played with Farmer again in 1981. In 1982, the album A Work of Art (Art Farmer Quartet, Concord Jazz CJ-179), was released, with Hersch on piano. It included two original compositions by Hersch. Leonard Feather gave it 3½ stars.

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. The following year, his trio played for singer Chris Connor, who was making a comeback after completing a recovery program for alcoholism. He played at the Kool Jazz Festival, and with Joe Henderson in the New Jazz at the Public series in the same year.

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."

In 1983–84, Hersch played many sessions with Jane Ira Bloom in several venues, and with whom he recorded the album, Mighty Lights. In 1985, he played with the Jamie Baum Quartet.

In 1986, he played with Toots Thielemans at the Great Woods jazz festival. He played with him in several sessions the following year, and again in 1987, receiving special attention for his solos. In 1986, he taught at Berklee College of Music.

He was the pianist for the Eddie Daniels quartet in 1987 and appeared on his album, To Bird with Love.

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."

In 1989, Hersch played with Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer and they recorded together in a studio set up in his home. 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, and released his eighth solo disc, Fred Hersch Plays Jobim, in 2009.

Source

• 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.