Fred Hersch

An acclaimed jazz pianist, Fred Hersch is a supremely gifted soloist with a sophisticated yet unselfconscious approach to playing standards and his own original compositions. His nuanced style, influenced by Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson, is considered a benchmark for modern jazz, garnering him multiple Grammy nominations (1992's Dancing in the Dark, 2014's Floating, and 2017's Open Book). Among other accolades, Hersch was awarded a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition, with which he created Leaves of Grass, an octet exploration of Walt Whitman's poetry. While he often performs solo, he has collaborated with artists like the Crosby Street String Quartet, Enrico Rava, and Esperanza Spalding. 2024’s Silent, Listening was recorded solo, while 2025’s Surrounding Green was in trio with Joey Baron and Drew Gress. In 2026, ECM released Feebles, Fables, and Ferns, a 1988 duo recording with guitarist Mick Goodrick.