Jazz pianist Fred Hersch returns to Wilton Library March 4

Wilton, CT – Jazz pianist Fred Hersch returns to the Brubeck Room stage on Sunday, March 4 for a Hot & Cool: Jazz at the Brubeck Room concert, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.  The 12-time Grammy Award-nominated artist is proclaimed by Vanity Fair, “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade.”  Besides his internationally recognized instrumental and composing skills, Hersch also is applauded for his achievements as an educator, bandleader, collaborator, and recording artist.  

In addition to multiple nominations for Best Improvised Jazz Solo and Best Album, recent accolades for Hersch include winning 2016 Jazz Pianist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. His September 2017 solo album, Open Book, offers “some of the finest, most unguardedly emotional solo music that Hersch has ever created in a career unique for its profound poignancy and passion.”  All About Jazz observed of his solo endeavors, “when it comes to the art of solo piano in jazz, there are two classes of performers: Fred Hersch and everybody else.” Also in 2017, Hersch published a companion piece to the album, a memoir entitled Good Things Happen Slowly, named to “The 5 Best Memoirs List of 2017” by The Washington Post and The New York Times. Intertwined with his performance, Fred will be reading some excerpts from his book.  

Hersch has been an engaging member of the jazz world for more than three decades with countless albums from solo performances to duos to extraordinary trios and innovative chamber settings. Hersch continues to earn jazz’s most prestigious awards, including recent distinctions as a 2016 Doris Duke Artist and the 2017 Prix Honorem de Jazz from L’Acádemie Charles Cros for the totality of his career. With more than three dozen albums to his credit as a leader or co-leader, Hersch consistently wins international awards and critical praise for his albums.

As an educator, Hersch has taught at New England Conservatory, The Juilliard School, The New School and The Manhattan School of Music. He is currently a Visiting Artist at Rutgers University. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from Grinnell College and Northern Kentucky University.

The Hot & Cool concerts are made possible by the William and Karen Tell Foundation with special thanks to Ed and Catherine Romer, and Chris and Tish Brubeck. The suggested donation for the evening is $10 per person.  An informal reception follows the concert.  CDs and Hersch’s new book, Good Things Happen Slowly, will be available for purchase and signing at the reception.

Advance registration is strongly recommended. Pre-registrants should arrive by 3:50 p.m. to be guaranteed seating; wait-listed and walk-in registrants will be admitted after 3:50 p.m. if space is available.  For information, directions and to register, visit www.wiltonlibrary.org or call 203-762-6334. Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in the heart of Wilton Center.

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Submitted by Wilton, CT

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