The Fred Hersch Trio +2

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Total Tracks: 10   Total Length: 58:10

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Thomas Bartlett

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Insanely focused and emotion-laden
2004 | Label: Palmetto / Iris

Fred Hersch, while always a pianist of great intellectual capability, outstanding technique and occasionally staggering resourcefulness as an improviser, has often made music that burns a little cold. But on Fred Hersch Trio +2, with longtime collaborators Drew Gress on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums, and augmented by trumpeter Ralph Alessi and saxophonist Tony Malaby, his playing has newfound fire. At times, his improvising recalls the intensely focused, emotion-laden lyricism of Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau, two pianists who share Hersch's intellectual and technical prowess (and his debt to Bill Evans), but who have hitherto far outstripped him in the business of making moving music. On this disc of nine Hersch originals and one (quite beautiful) Lennon-McCartney cover, trumpeter Alessi stands out from the quintet as the perfect match for Hersch, a similarly cerebral, incisive player, and Waits 'fleet, ever-shifting drumming dazzles. Disc highlights include the energetic and harmonically intriguing "Riddle Song" and "A Lark," a lovely tribute to Kenny Wheeler.

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Very thoughtful and well

Librarian

The romanticism of Hersch’s piano playing really shines through on the group’s cover of The Beatles “And I Love Her” which is well suited to a rich ballad interpretation. “Black Dogs Pays a Visit” changes things up as a bass heavy tune with a lot of soloing which slowly builds into a rhapsodic piano trio and then finally adds the horns dramatically to reach an improvisational crescendo. The horn solos throughout fit in well within the course of the music. Hersch’s music is normally trio related so you may think that the other instruments would be extraneous but this is not so, they are fully integrated into the band as Malaby’s solo on “Lee’s Dream” and Alessi’s beautifully stentorian playing on “A Riddle Song” aptly documents. This is a very thoughtful and well played disc of modern jazz that both respects the past glories of the music and also looks unflinchingly into the present and the future.

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They Say All Music Guide

After primarily concentrating on solo and trio recordings for an extended time, pianist Fred Hersch opted to expand his group to a quintet for this outstanding session. With Nasheet Waits on drums and longtime bassist Drew Gress, Hersch’s choice of trumpeter and flügelhornist Ralph Alessi and tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby proves to be an inspired one. Other than a gorgeous interpretation of the Beatles’ timeless ballad “And I Love Her,” whose arrangement has the flavor of an impressionist like Satie, the songs are all originals by the leader. Hersch’s “A Riddle Song,” which is made up of intervals of perfect fifths, is an infectious post-bop vehicle created to feature the phenomenal Waits, though the pianist has his say with some wailing choruses of his own. “Miss B” is a funky off-kilter tune with a call-and-response between Alessi and Malaby. “Black Dog Pays a Visit” (whose title was inspired by Winston Churchill’s term for depression) is a complex moody work that packs an emotional punch. The intricate “Marshall’s Plan” hints at the influence of Bill Evans. “Lee’s Dream,” which honors Lee Konitz and owes its creation to the chord changes of “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” is a fascinating duet by Hersch and Malaby. This is yet another highly recommended addition to Fred Hersch’s vast discography as a leader. – Ken Dryden

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