Songs Without Words
For the past two decades pianist Fred Hersch has created something all jazz musicians strive for: his own unique style. That style is on display on this three-CD collection that primarily features Hersch's sterling solo pianisms. The first disc contains Hersch's "Songs Without Words," a six-suite work that highlights Hersch's articulate touch and evokes French impressionism, the Argentinean tango, and the jazz waltz. His earliest compositions follow the suite, such as the lullaby-like "Child's Song" and the heartbreaking melody of "Sarabande." The second disc is Hersch's tribute to several jazz composers from Duke Ellington to Dizzy Gillespie. On "Work" by Thelonious Monk, Hersch pulls Monk's tricky rhythms into his bluesy lyrical labyrinth, and his quintet's treatment of Wayne Shorter's mysterious "Fall" recalls the moody tones of the mid-'60s Miles Davis group. The last disc salutes the American songwriter Cole Porter. On tunes such as "Get Out of Town," "All of You," the zesty drum-and-piano duet "Let's Do It," and the trio take of "Easy to Love," Hersch displays unlimited imagination, technical brilliance, and a firm grasp of the past.--Eugene Holley Jr.