Search - Fred Hersch :: Personal Favorites

The Playing is Worth Five Stars at Least, But...

Stephen Silberman | SF, CA USA | 01/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fred Hersch is one of the most gifted, sensitive, and inspired living jazz pianists, and this well-chosen collection highlights his sublimely articulate playing and the highly empathic dynamics of his trios. I would not hesitate to recommend this album as an introduction to Hersch's work, and despite the note above, this CD definitely does not require an SACD-enabled player to sound fabulous. Hersch straddles the blurry line between modern "out" playing and Bill Evans-style romantic lyricism with elegance, imagination, grace, and gentle swing.



So what's the problem? The problem is the packaging. This is a "best of" compendium of some of Hersch's best tracks from albums like the absolutely superb "The Fred Hersch Trio Plays...", but there is no indication on the disc that this product consists of previously-released material upgraded to SACD audio. Since Hersch, like most jazz guys, often plays standards, there is no way to know this from the "setlist." A sticker should be appended to these discs by Chesky immediately.



Other than that, the playing here by Hersch and his compatriots is wonderful."