Tag: Piano jazz

Jazz in NYC: Fred Hersch Solo Piano at Village Vanguard

arts-NY

Jazz in NYC: Fred Hersch Solo Piano at Village Vanguard

Piano-jazz master and composer with solo performances at a legendary NYC club on October 31 – November 2, 2017

piano jazz NYC Village Vanguard Fred Hersch
Fred Hersch / Photo credit Jim Wilkie

It’s a well known fact that every jazz musician is dreaming about performing at the Village Vanguard, a celebrated New York jazz spot. Going there is part of a sacred ritual for music fans, and for the musicians, it’s a recognition of their mastery and acceptance in the world of jazz. Pianist and composer Fred Hersch is a regular presence on the club schedule and will be performing there October 31 – November 2, 2017.

Fred Hersch is a celebrated figure on the international jazz scene. He came to fame in 1984 when he debuted with Horizons. His very sophisticated style of introspective and emotionally rich music is gaining in its depth with each appearance and recording. Hersch plays with his highly acclaimed trio, in solo concerts and in collaboration with other musicians. One such collaboration with another remarkable pianist Sullivan Fortner has taken place early in October 2017 at Bard College organized by the Catskill Jazz Factory.
piano jazz NYC Village Vanguard Fred Hersch An established pianist and a bandleader, Hersch is also a well-known composer and jazz educator. Being nominated for ten Grammy awards, the last two in 2017, and named a 2016 Doris Duke Artist puts Hersch at the top of the list of contemporary jazz musicians. His very personal story of near-death health crisis, a remarkable come-back and an openness about his experiences all contribute to his very distinct status among the musicians. A profile in the WallStreetJournal by Ted Gioia calls this return to life “a miracle” which brought Hersch music to the level “that doesn’t get any better than this”. Hirsch’s latest album Open Book was released in September 2017.piano jazz NYC Village Vanguard Fred Hersch

While jazz remains Hersch’s passion and major preoccupation, he is also a talented storyteller, with a lot to share with his readers. His new memoir  “Good Things Happen Slowly” was released in September 2017. NPR’s Terry Gross interviewing Hersch had described the story in the book as what “it was like to be closeted in the jazz world, and then come out as gay and as having AIDS”.

Hersch talent is clearly reaching new highs with each new show, and the upcoming appearances at the Vanguard will surely be no exception.

Book your tickets here.

Venue: Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue, NY         

Dates: October 31 – November 2, 2017

Beyond NY: Jazz Music for Two Pianos with Fred Hersch and Sullivan Fortner

arts-NY

Beyond NY: Jazz Music for Two Pianos with Fred Hersch and Sullivan Fortner

Catskill Jazz Factory brings great music to Bard College 

This partnership of two great pianists is promising to make a delightful night full of fresh perspectives on contemporary jazz. Each musician brings a distinct style and artistic excellence while being true the roots of his style. Merging these two creative personalities playing the music of Fred Hersh, Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter and others is not an easy fit. But it will surely be refreshing and exciting. 

double piano jazz concert bard college ny October 2017
Fred Hersch / Photo credit Vincent Soyez

Fred Hersch is a celebrated figure on the international jazz scene. He came to fame in 1984 when he debuted with Horizons. His very elegant style of introspective and emotionally rich music is gaining in its depth with each appearance and recording. His trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson enjoys a fruitful collaboration and maintains a demanding live performance and recording schedule. The New York Times review of the trio performance at the Vanguard back in 2012 described their style as “the incremental stretch toward an elusive ideal”.
double piano jazz concert bard college ny October 2017A celebrated pianist and a bandleader, Hersch is also a well-known composer and jazz educator. Being nominated for ten Grammy awards, the last two in 2017, and named a 2016 Doris Duke Artist puts Hersch at the top of the list of contemporary jazz musicians. His very personal story of near-death health crisis, a remarkable come-back and an openness about his experiences all contribute to his very distinct status among the musicians. A profile in the WallStreetJournal by Ted Gioia calls this return to life “a miracle” which brought Hersch music to the level “that doesn’t get any better than this”. Hirsch’s latest album Open Book was released in September 2017.

double piano jazz concert bard college ny October 2017
Sullivan Fortner / Image source sullivanfortnermusic.com

Sullivan Fortner, a 2015 Cole Porter Jazz Fellow with the American Pianists Association, brings in the vibe of his generation to this fascinating partnership. Also a leader of his own band, The Sullivan Fortner Trio, who are performing extensively, Fortner had played with vibraphonist Stefon Harris and the trumpeters Roy Hargrove and Etienne Charles and toured with major jazz collectives of today.
double piano jazz concert bard college ny October 2017Graduating from Oberlin Music Conservatory with bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and master’s from Manhattan School of Music, Fortner is recognized for his youthful energy mixed with the disciplined maturity.  A review in the New York Times of his “Aria” album release stresses that “his fundamentals as a player could hardly be stronger”.

The concert at Richard B. Fischer Center for Performing Arts at Bard College located on a picturesque campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY is organized by an innovative educational and performance art community the Catskill Jazz Factory. Bard College is well-known for its rigorous art education program and the best in class roster of music performances in upstate NY. Only two hours away from hustle and bustle of New York City, the campus is sufficiently insulated for full concentration and study, yet affords a convenience of being accessible via train connection to the city.

The Richard B. Fisher Center is an architectural jewel in itself being designed by Frank Gehry and hosting a multitude of adventurous programs at the world-class facilities.

Book the tickets  here.

Venue: Richard B. Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Dates: October 7, 2017

Places to eat around Bard College.

 

May 2017 Jazz Concert: Vijay Iyer at Village Vanguard

arts-NY

May 2017 Jazz Concert: Vijay Iyer Trio at Village Vanguard

May 2017 Jazz Concert: Vijay Iyer Trio at Village Vanguard
Vijay Iyer; credit Jimmy Katz

Listening to jazz music at Village Vanguard, a celebrated New York jazz spot, is part of a sacred ritual for music fans. This week the club is hosting Vijay Iyer Trio from May 9 to May 14.  Iyer’s trio (Iyer, piano; Marcus Gilmore, drums; Stephan Crump, bass) is particularly famous for its albums Accelerando(2012) and Historicity (2009). Accelerando was voted #1 Jazz Album of the Year for 2012 by three separate critics polls at DownBeat, Jazz Times, and Rhapsody.

The concert at the Village Vanguard starts with simple introduction of the musicians by Iyer with a compulsory explanation of the pronunciation of Iyer’s name. It then gets into continuous musical journey seemingly uninterrupted and fluid. It feels that one tune smoothly leads to the next like sea waves so the audience is getting deep into the sound. The musicians’ high calibre is in full view. There is no solos per se as the band improvises together.

Iyer was interested in music from his childhood playing in school orchestra and continuing performing when studying at Yale University which he graduated with a degree in Physics and Mathematics. He then pursued his scientific and musical exploration at the University of California at Berkeley getting a Ph. D. in the cognitive science of music. In addition to performing and writing his own compositions, he is the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University. Before Harvard University he was teaching at Manhattan School of Music, NYU and The New School. Iyer started playing professionally with Steve Coleman, a bandleader and a saxophone player back when he was still at Berkeley.

In talking to Oberlin Review at the time of a Master program there at Oberlin Conservatory in April 2017, he stressed the importance of keeping the music within “the living context” and for the artists to think broadly about the world and their responsibility in serving it.

Vijay Iyer, a 2013 McArthur Fellow, had been “the most lauded piano player in jazz” according to The New Yorker profile in February 1, 2016 issue. It is quite interesting that in that same profile the fact that Iyer until then was not invited to play at Village Vanguard was brought up. The record is corrected now.

Tickets can be booked here.

Venue: Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue, NY                           Dates: May 9 – 14, 2017 at 8.30pm and 10.30pm