Jazz Piano on Saturday 22 June 20:00 CET features Fred Hersch.
“When it comes to the art of solo piano in jazz, there are two classes of performers: Fred Hersch and everybody else.” (All About Jazz).
Fred Hersch has produced more than ten high-quality solo albums, recorded both live and in the studio and there are few jazz pianists who have matched that. ECM Records recently released ‘Silent, Listening’, an album produced by the legendary Manfred Eicher. The pianist, the instrument, the producer and the acoustics of the Auditorium RSI in Lugano combine to create an intense listening experience. Read the title again, note the comma! Space…
Designer Andreas Kocks is responsible for the cover art that beautifully matches the musical content.
This program falls under the umbrella term ‘jazz’, but a number of pieces are far outside the boundaries of jazz. If you fall into the middle of a piece without any information, you may think: Schoenberg? Debussy? This does not apply to the standard Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise (with comma). Hersch’s source of inspiration here is Sonny Rollins’ version on his album Live at the Village Vanguard. Hersch: “…the gold standard for me.” He starts the melody in unison – concentration! -, and then follows with a contrapuntal second voice towards the end.
The album is a mix of existing compositions and free improvisations. There is no virtuosity or fast tempi. The dynamics move between pianississimo and mezzoforte. A familiar texture: the melody from the right hand, chords from the left hand are scarce. The keyboard is used to its full extent, with the low register sometimes also taking on a melodic function. Touch and the use of the pedal reveal nuances that you associate with classical pianists.
Hersch: “I still believe in the idea of an album as a complete musical statement from beginning to end (…) This is a perspective being lost in an impatient age.”
This is music that should be listended to in a closed and silent space.
Click here for the playlist.
Piano Jazz – a programme by Robert Vermeulen
