Fred Hersch

Jazz at MPM

The prestigious magazine All About Jazz stated that “when it comes to the art of solo piano in jazz, there are two classes of performers: Fred Hersch and everybody else.” Because, however versatile and exploratory his excursions into trios and duos, his unlimited range and emotional diversity is never quite so evident as in his solo performances, such as the one to be held in the MPM Auditorium on Saturday 2^nd July at 8.00 p.m., which will be his only concert in Andalusia.

A select member of the Jazz Pantheon, Fred Hersch has been a highly influential creative force for over three decades as an improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist. He has been proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade or so,” by Vanity Fair; “an elegant inventive musical force” by the L.A. Times, and “a living legend” by The New Yorker. Hersch is a fifteen-time Grammy nominee and continues to earn the most prestigious jazz awards. He recently ranked second in Downbeat’s 2021 Jazz Musician of the Year Critics’ poll, ranking third as Jazz pianist. He was also named International Jazz Artist of the Year 2021 by France’s Jazz Magazine and holds an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College and Northern Kentucky University. 

With more than fifty albums to his credit as leader or co-leader, Hersch receives regular praise from critics, and international awards for each new and eagerly awaited release. His latest project, Breath By Breath (released on 9^th January 2022 by Palmetto Records) introduces nine original compositions for piano, bass and drums, with The Crosby Street String Quartet. The album’s release coincided with the publication of his acclaimed memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly (Crown Archetype Books/Random House). This engaging book tells the story of his life in music, along with a candid account of his health struggles and victories as the first openly gay, HIV-positive jazz musician.