Pianist Fred Hersch (1955) grew up with Beethoven and Mozart, but upon discovering jazz decided it was the coolest thing he’d ever heard. Hersch upped and left his hometown of Cincinnati as a strong-willed young man to try his luck in New York. There, he quickly became a much sought-after session musician. He now has more than fifty albums and fifteen Grammy nominations to his name. This masterful pianist is captivating as a solo artist, but additionally plays in all kinds of lineups as well. He recorded his 2022 album Breath By Breath with a string quartet, but this time he comes to Rotterdam with a trio, which also features bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron. In addition to his enormous musical output, Hersch also likes to pass on his knowledge to others: he taught at the New England Conservatory, The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music, and was therefore a considerable influence on a younger generation of musicians such as Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson.
