Fred Hersch’s Vanguard “Debut” on Palmetto

courtesy of Braithwaite & Katz Communications

This Friday Palmetto Records will release its latest album of jazz pianist Fred Hersch. To be clear about the matter, however, this is not an album of Hersch’s latest work in studio or in performance. Rather, it is a “historically significant” album documenting the first time that Hersch performed as a leader at the Village Vanguard in a series of concerts that took place in July of 1997. As usual, Amazon.com has a Web page for processing pre-orders.

For Hersch, leading his own group at the Vanguard was “equivalent to the first time a classical musician plays at Carnegie Hall.” I would agree both intellectually and enthusiastically. Indeed, my first visit to Carnegie Hall was, ironically, one of the most forgettable listening experiences I endured, since it was a performance by Gershon Kingsley’s First Moog Quartet! On the other hand, the very first time I went to the Vanguard, I was there to listen to Thelonious Monk. Details may have blurred in my memory, but the experience itself is as vivid as ever.

When Hersch made his leader debut, he was no stranger to the Vanguard. He had been playing there as a sideman since 1979. He built up his “schooling” there by playing with an impressive “faculty” of “teachers.” Those leaders included Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Lee Konitz, Ron Carter, and Al Foster. For his first time out as leader, he worked with a basic trio, whose rhythm was provided by Drew Gress on bass and Tom Rainey on drums.

To be fair, this new Palmetto album is far from a complete account of Hersch’s debut. Indeed, the duration of the album is only a little short of an hour. However, Hersch had tapes of all his performances from which he hand-picked eight tracks that he was willing to “share with the group.” Five of them were standards: “Easy to Love,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Three Little Words,” “I Wish I Knew,” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” Only two are Hersch originals, “Evanessence” and “Swamp Thang,” while the remaining track is Gress’ “Andrew John.”

Anyone who follows this site regularly should know by now of my enthusiasm for Hersch’s capacity for inventiveness. Indeed, he can be just as imaginative with standards as with his own work and that of those close to him. He is also equally at home at unfolding an extended original (and sometimes cryptic) introduction for a familiar standard (“My Funny Valentine” being the best example on this album) as he is with jumping right in to make sure everyone knows what the tune is. (“Easy to Love” is an excellent example, even if Hersch’s interpretation is more “about” the joy of a relationship, rather than the coy act of wooing, which comes closer to what Cole Porter probably had in mind.)

To be fair, the more I listen to Hersch’s albums, the more I can build up my own mental model of how he goes about his work. This has enabled me to listen to his interpretations and improvisations with the same level of attention I can bring to a classical pianist playing one of the late sonatas by Franz Schubert. As a result, each new encounter through recordings leaves me feeling better equipped to listen to Hersch at work in a setting that encourages attentive listening. In the past San Francisco Performances has provided that setting, and I hope they will get around to doing it again in the foreseeable future!