Fred Hersch & Benoit Delbecq: Fun House

Benoit Delbecq (piano)
Fred Hersch (piano)
Fun House (Songlines Recordings; 2013)
Mark Helias (bass)
Gerry Hemingway (drums)
Jean-Jacques Avenel (bass)
Steve Arguelles (drums)

It's always an exciting prospect when two great conceptualists combine their ideas. The results can be sublime. And that is exactly what happens on Fun House, the new collaboration between Fred Hersch and Benoit Delbecq.

A fantastic intersection of classical tradition, jazz ethos and soundscapes. Delbecq known for his complex patterns and sparse ambience. Hersch renown for his creativity, elegance and agility to move the jazz tradition forward. These elements are pulled, stretched and expanded through Fun House in various hues by an amazing double trio.

"Ronchamp" is a heavy, dense piece that while revolving around improvised notes of Hersch and Delbecq, also serves as a platform of vibrant performances by Avenel and Helias. The movements feature deep lows and cathartic high tones. All folded into a short three and a half minutes.

"Fun House" and "Le Rayon Vert" are complexed ballads wrapped in third-stream harmonic melodies. They are at once blissful and serene. Then carving a pattern of improvised exchanges between each instrument. While "Night For Day" is the more traditional piece in this set. A straight ahead one, two bop rhythm. It's cool and playful as Hersch sounds like the shadow of Thelonious Monk.

The closing track, Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman," was also featured on Hersch's Alive At The Vanguard release from a year ago. Here in the double session, it has more atmospherics and a rich psychedelic feel. Still deeply personal but also crackling with life thanks to dueling conversation between the two pianists.

At times throughout Fun House it's difficult to discern which musician is which coming through the left and right channels. But that actually is the point. This set of accomplished musicians, whom have played together before in various configurations, sound like one ensemble in harmony. Fun House is an easy and control session with lots of dynamics that will be immensely enjoyable to admirers of both Delbecq and Hersch. But also for those seeking something new and introspective. Highly Recommended.

Angelica Sanchez: Wires & Moss

Angelica Sanchez (piano)
Wires & Moss (Clean Feed; 2012)
Tony Malaby (sax)
Marc Ducret (guitar)
Drew Gress (bass)
Tom Rainey (drums)

Everyone knows I tend to rave about Fred Hersch and Jason Moran as my favourite modern pianists. But there are others that are emerging with the same talent and vision as these two future legends. Kris Davis is definitely one of those that I put in the list. Recently I have also been listening another bright and inventive composer, Angelica Sanchez.

Sanchez, now with her forth album (third for Clean Feed), hopefully will find a wider audience. With Wires & Moss, she explores an ever growing lyrical and conceptual structure that is both calm and free flowing. "Loomed" is an expansive piece with various layers of expression, tightly pulled together by Ducret, Malaby and Rainey. Sanchez and Gress play the static calm palate to the trio's frenetic brushes. But it's always the leader who carries the tune's soft undulating notes towards the close.

"Wires & Moss" is a stunning display of rolling melodies. Sanchez's performance is filled with multiple chord changes and jagged directional cues for the rest of the quintet. Early on, Ducret shines with crafty Arto Lindsay meets Thurston Moore type qualities. The piece moves up, down and outward. The rest of the group approach midway through and it becomes more poetic with each movement. Gress and Sanchez take the band quietly out with some beautiful passages.

Motionless might be the feeling you get from the closing number, "Bushido." This starts off gently but then moves roughly in staccato motion while consistently holding the listener in place. The entire quintet is scorching on this number and exemplifies Sanchez's creative vision that she has worked on since setting out as a leader over a decade ago.

Angelica Sanchez writes with a very cerebral approach that puts her in a category of the previous mentioned artist from my point of view. If you haven't experienced her music before--now is the time. Wires & Moss is absolutely brilliant and highly, highly recommended!

Fred Hersch: Alive At The Vanguard

Fred Hersch (piano)

Alive At The Vanguard (Palmetto Records; 2012)

John Hebert (bass)

Eric McPherson (drums)

On a typical cold night in February a friend of mine and I made our what seems annual pilgrimage to see Fred Hersch play a series of dates at the legendary Village Vanguard.

Seeing Hersch live in any configuration is always going to be exciting and celebratory. Where as his solo performances are obviously more intimate and personal, in the trio setting he really lets loose and creates a sense of vitality with each performance.

This series of performances are captured splendidly on Alive At The Vanguard. "Tristesse" is a sweet tribute to the late drummer, Paul Motian. It's a ballad the embodies everything Motian projected. The piece is well crafted with subtle harmonies and a soft tone of haunting beauty.

Hersch's own "Dream Of Monk" and the Sonny Rollins classic "Doxy" are both pure delights. Hersch's intimacy and detail shine on these two pieces. The influence of both legends can be felt in the humour of "Dream Of Monk" and romantic blues-like flow of "Doxy." Hebert and McPherson give the "Doxy" a bit more jump allowing you to focus and the feel the tunes emotional impact. 

Some cool beats and fast complex notes inhabit, "Jackalope." Hebert and McPherson ignite a very uptempo rhythm for Hersch to playfully swerve in and out. Probably the fiercest track on this set, it's a compelling piece wrapped in a few layers infectious funky little notes delivered by the trio.

Combining two classic Hammerstein and Monk tunes, "The Song Is You/Played Twice" is a soft and tender touch of genius. The trio go from a compassionate slow down version of the classic "Song..." to a wonderful improvised jaunt of "Twice," that has all the energy of a Monk number. And an excellent way to close out the night.

This live session was great to see. I have no idea if any of the songs are from the night I went but its great to have a tangible memory of it. A solid document of a week long run at the legendary club. This very well could be my favourite live album from Fred Hersch. Alive At The Vanguard is definitely one of my albums of the year. Highly Recommended!

Fred Hersch: At The Vanguard

Fred Hersch (piano;b. 1955)
Alone At The Vanguard (Palmetto Records)


Fred Hersch has always been one of my favourite pianist. His style is elegant, emotional and intelligent. Hersch has been prolific in various settings including duo, trio, quartet, quintet and orchestral. But the one setting that many (including myself) love the most, is his solo outings. Hersch is someone who takes a tune and transforms it into more than just melodies. He creates stories.


Fred Hersch's latest story is taken from a series of sold out nights at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City. For once I was smart enough to get my arse downtown to see him solo. I have since him in duo and quartet settings but never solo; until this particular week of shows. I only went to the second night and as usual it was mesmerizing.


Alone At The Vanguard documents the final evening of that series of performances. The intimacy and beauty of this evening is what will really grab you when you listening to a track like "Echoes", an original piece Hersch piece. It's a rich, lush piece that finds Hersch moving up and down the scales in a calm but exalted manner. A nice signature moment of Hersch's quality. After listening "Echoes" you will realize how important Fred Hersch is to jazz music.


"Memories Of You", one of my favourite standards is more intimate than ever in the masterful hands of Hersch. It's heartfelt and he basically opens the door for you to see and hear the detail of each note. A clear perception and tone that is unlike many other pianist of his generation. Monk has definitely been an influence on Hersch (he has already recorded an album of just Monk covers). But there are probably only two musicians who can really re-imagine a Monk tune--Jason Moran and of course Fred Hersch. On "Work", a song Hersch has already covered on the three disc set, Songs Without Words (Nonesuch; 2001), he again takes the Sonny Rollins/Thelonious Monk piece and energizes it with playful confidence.


The Sonny Rollins standard "Doxy" closes out what must have been a perfect evening for the audience. The forceful yet emotional and sometimes blues-inflected tone Hersch adds is another example of his creative interpretation. Alone At The Vanguard is another solo masterpiece from a truly great master of the instrument. Live is always the best way to see Fred Hersch, but if you can't make this is the best document to be a part of the experience. Highly Recommend.

Chris Dahlgren On The Beauty Of Bartok

Chris Dahlgren (double bass, voice; b. 1961)
Mystic Maze (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010)

Antonis Anissegos (piano)
Eric Schaeffer (drums)
Gebhard Ullmann (sax; clarinet)
Christian Weidner (sax)

Chris Dahlgren is a New York native now living in Berlin. He has developed a unique style in both playing and composition. This may be a result of his many musical partnerships with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, Fred Hersch and La Monte Young to name just a few. While his compositional style is more abstract, Dahlgren's playing is very contemporary in a vein of Dave Holand and Charlie Haden. This I feel allows his fellow band members to express themselves freely within the written material.

Dahlgren has been performing since the eighties (with his debut as leader appearing in the late nineties) but recently he put together a quintet with members that he has played together in various forms, now called Lexicon. Their debut, Mystic Maze (Jazzwerkstatt Records) is a brilliant slice of improvisation, classical theory and poetry.

Mystic Maze is based around the music of the great composer Bela Bartok, or better yet the critics who derided Bartok during his time for the adventurous and original spirit that he was. Dahlgren has constructed a poetic operatic experience that moves freely between melodic Silent Way-esque motifs, explorations on the meaning of music and how we and civilization relate to it.

The title track, "Mystic Maze" begins with almost Beat Generation drum and bass lines matched by Dahlgrens poetic delivery, outlines the direction of this session as journey of meaning of Bartok and his music. This is free form but with meaning and purpose.

Dahlgren utilizes the direct critiques of Bartok as lyrics in a poetic fashion throughout Mystic Maze. "Painless Dentistry No.1 - 3" while have more a jazz improvisational element due contain the underline feeling of angst that was delivered upon Bartok. This is most evident on "Painless Dentristy No.2" which Dahlgren recites a critics thoughts on how more or less Bartok has lost his way and his vision. The delivery of the lyrics and mastery of the musicians within this format is extraordinary. The work of both Ullmann, Weidner (on clarinet and sax) and Anissegos exploratory vision on piano are marvelous throughout each piece.

"The Composer Promenading The Keyboard In His Boots" is another moment in which the material shines not only due to Dahlgren's arrangements but the effortless phrasing from Anissegos, Weidner, Ullmann and Schaefer's perfect timing. "The Composer Promenading..." has a critics discussing the meandering and meaninglessness of Bartok's written material. Under the direction of Dahlgren this diatribe is turned on its head beautifully.

Mystic Maze is work that is reminiscent of an evening at St. Marks Church listening to Allen Ginsberg in the eighties. Or if some of you may remember an album by Heiner Gobbels entitled Man In The Elevator (ECM Records) which beautifully balanced jazz improvisation, operatic themes and poetic parameters. Mystic Maze is heavy but delightful stuff and worth repeated listens so you can gain every drop of knowledge from the world Dahlgren has constructed. ...And then you should go out and purchase some Bartok if you don't have some already.