I'm a great lover of piano solos that can take your breath away. Jazz pianist, Fred Hersch did just that when I listened to his latest song Begin Again. A beautiful composition that blew me away. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio this talented musician, educator, and activist for HIV/AIDS has been making mesmerizing music since he was eight years old. At age 4 he began playing the piano.
He won several piano competitions by the age of ten. Later while attending Grinnell College in
Iowa, he became interested in jazz music. He ended up dropping out of college to play jazz music. Most musicians dream of the opportunity for their careers to be launched or noticed by the major record labels but this jazz musician was at the right place and at the right time. While living in Ohio he went to see jazz legend Sun Ra play and bandleader, Art Pepper told the audience that they needed a piano player to come up onstage and play with the band. Fred Hersch jumped at the chance and the rest is history. He later moved to NY and has played with the best in jazz from Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, and Kurt Elling. He has also played with classical artists and on Broadway. He made his debut in 1993 with his album Fred Hersch at Maybeck and has released several albums as both soloist and his jazz trio. He is grammy nominated and is a well-sought-out musician. His playing is melodic and romantic and must be listened to on a great stereo system to catch all the highs and lows and sound waves he creates with his playing. He also wrote his autobiography about his life in jazz called Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz. This past January he released his latest album Breath by Breath which brings his love of string quartets and jazz to the forefront. Check out this super-talented jazz pianist, composer, and educator. He is now on tour so look out for shows in your city.... be sure to check him out live. You won't regret it. Happy listening!
Begin Again
