Fred Hersch - Songs Without Words

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Music reviews of Songs Without Words

Music Review: An Embarrassment of Riches
Rating: 5 Stars

The first disc, "Songs Without Words," consists entirely of Hersch's original compositions, the second, "Jazz Tunes," is a collection of songs by Monk, Mingus, Shorter, Ellington and others, and the third CD, "Music of Cole Porter," is, well, a selection of Cole Porter songs. While most performances are solo piano, Fred is joined by other players (including Ralph Alessi on trumpet and flugelhorn and Rich Perry on tenor sax) for some duet, trio, and quintet arrangements.

I was fortunate enough to see a live solo performance by Mr. Hersch just a few days ago where he played some selections from this release before an amazingly small audience of 50 or so people. (Being at Shank Hall in Milwaukee, he commented what an honor it was to share the stage with the famed Stonehenge model from "Spinal Tap.") Needless to say, these CDs capture the wonderful essence of this concert and more. This is the kind of set you really treasure, knowing it will provide endless hours of listening and discovery. Those who enjoyed his "Live at Jordan Hall" release will surely love this collection which has a similar relaxed and intimate recital-like atmosphere. The disc of originals is probably the most interesting and unexpected treat here... "Songs without Words" is a 6-part suite of pieces combining abstraction and lyricism in various short character forms. "Child's Song" is a particularly evocative extended duet with Jamey Haddad on percussion.

The predominant mood over all three discs is reflective, introspective, and a bit cerebral, but interspersed are a fair share of whimsical and rollicking pieces, such as "Caravan" and "Let's Do It". Yet my personal favorites are the lovely ballads, both the originals and the interpretations, which may bring to mind the pianism of Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau. Particularly stunning is the lightness of touch and richness in tone and voicings that Hersch displays here. Performances of "The Wind," "Mood Indigo," and "So In Love" will leave you breathless.

At the concert I attended, Fred revealed that this was originally conceived as a 4-disc release: the fourth CD would have been all songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim... imagine that!

Description of Songs Without Words

Broadway & Vocalists CDs

• Music > Styles
• Jazz
• Pop