American composer and jazz pianist Fred Hersch (b. 1955) grew up in a Jewish family in Cincinnati, where he was introduced to classical music at an early age. As a child he already won competitions, but his introduction to jazz made an even greater impact on his life. As a young twenty-something, Hersch moved to New York and worked with such jazz greats as
Charlie Haden and
Stan Getz. For years he
… was also the regular accompanist of Toots Thielemans. Significant to his life was the HIV infection he contracted in 1984. It left him with fragile health and, as a result, he was in a coma for two months in 2008. Upon awakening he had lost all strength in his fingers and a long rehabilitation followed. One of the things that kept Hersch going was meditation. The title Breath By Breath refers to the conscious breathing in and out that is important in this process. With a perfect balance between two of the most seen lineups in classical and jazz music respectively - the string quartet and the piano trio - he manages to find a beautiful harmony between these two musical worlds. The pieces sound serene and have been composed and arranged extremely meticulously by Hersch, with a strong sense of melody. (JV)more
