Monday, March 06, 2000
Hersch brought celebration of music home
BY CECELIA D. JOHNSON
Enquirer contributor
Grown-up music lives in its wondrous glory as evidenced Saturday night when one of the most respected jazz pianists returned to his home turf. Cincinnati native Fred Hersch (Walnut Hills High School Class of 1973) presented an outstanding program of sophisticated selections at Parrish Auditorium on Miami University's Hamilton campus.
Mr. Hersch parlayed his training at the New England Conservatory of Music (where now teaches part-time) into musical associations with jazz icons Joe Henderson, Stan Getz and Toots Thielemans upon his arrival in New York City in 1977. Those influences, among others, have contributed to Mr. Hersch's remarkable talent for lyricism.
It's always a joy to hear pure, uncluttered music without the distractions of light shows, dancers and the overuse of amplification. The intimacy of musicians, audience and the music itself combined to create a memorable evening.
Mr. Hersch led his trio in an unabashed two-hour celebration of music and its ability to evoke emotions. “Bemsha's Swing” was a study of skill and playfulness in a three-way conversation with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Jeff Hirschfield. Their death-defying take on the Theolonius Monk tune was a monument to the adage “conventions be damned.”
An original composition, “Sarabande” followed, providing a stark contrast with soft, subtle shadings caressing melodies with a soothing groove. Mr. Hersch's compositional prowess teases as it smolders with an understated passion. A flash of what Mr. Hersch wryly referred to as “"medley disease' where Ornette Coleman meets Doris Day” was manifest in a segue from “Forerunner” to “Secret Love.” He followed up with another original piece, “Up in the Air,” introduced as a jazz waltz.
While Mr. Hersch has an obvious flair for lush lyricism, the scope of his range was realized in his “Swamp Thang,” a funky, laid-back deep-fried stroll of nonchalance that found Mr. Hirschfield scratching beats on the underbelly of his snare drum. Mr. Gress brought up some really gooey bottom notes on his bass while Mr. Hersch was busy conjuring up spirits of bluesman of bygone days.
More highlights followed, including a whimsical take of Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and an Ornette Coleman/Miles Davis-Gil Evans medley that conveyed an ethereal, exotic essence that happily co-existed with hard-bop sensibilities to create a jazz patchwork of an audio mosaic.
Duke Ellington's “Mood Indigo” was ripe with nuances in phrasing while the evening's closer, Sonny Rollins' “Doxy” was a finale filled with enormous injections of bluesy swing and full-bodied soul.
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