Fred Hersch: Leaves of Grass

Great artists give free concerts at New England Conservatory—simply because they teach here.

"Dear Sir, I am not blind to the worth of the wonderful gift of 'Leaves of Grass.' I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit & wisdom that America has yet contributed."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, letter to Walt Whitman

"I found myself drawn to entire poems, titles of poems, and sections of larger poems that conveyed universal and inclusive sentiments: appreciation of the present moment, wonder at the miracle of nature in all its forms, freedom to be oneself and express that openly, and above all, open-hearted love of all beings."
—Fred Hersch

Jazz pianist and composer Fred Hersch took a leap into large-scale composition when he embraced poet Walt Whitman's sprawling opus, Leaves of Grass, with this suite for piano, two vocalists, and instrumental ensemble. Supported by a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, the project had its roots in Hersch's first encounter with Whitman's poetry as an NEC student. Now, as an NEC faculty member of long standing, Hersch brings this project full circle to Jordan Hall as a collaboration with NEC jazz and Contemporary Improvisation students and faculty.

With Hersch at the piano, this performance will showcase vocalists Dominique Eade and Tommy Boynton, along with Andrew Halchak on alto saxophone, clarinet, and bass clarinet; Wyatt Palmer, tenor saxophone; Jake Baldwin, trumpet; Tim Shneier, trombone; Valerie Thompson, cello; Ehud Ettun, bass, and Connor Baker, drums.

Leaves of Grass toured in concert immediately after its release as a recording in 2005, and was praised both in the traditional jazz press and by Walt Whitman's admirers. In the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review, Lyman Leathers—a specialist in Whitman's influence on music—wrote that "Walt would have been delighted."

Fred Hersch received two 2011 Grammy nominations for Alone at the Vanguard, and has three previous nominations.

Read Fred Hersch's own notes on this work.

2012-04-23 Read Timothy J. O'Keefe's All About Jazz interview with Fred Hersch.

2012-04-22 Read Andrew Gilbert's Boston Globe interview with Fred Hersch.

2012-04-19 Read Jon Garelick's Boston Phoenix interview with Fred Hersch.

NPR has archived the New York premiere of Leaves of Grass from 2005, as well as Terry Gross's "Fresh Air" interview with Fred Hersch in which they discuss the work.