Hersch will be playing a lot of
material from his latest CD, Thelonius:
Fred Hersch Plays Monk, and a selec-
tion of other material he typically
plays when he performs unaccompa-
nied. Segments focus on different
composers such as Rodgers and
Hammerstein, Johnny Mandel — and
Hersch himself.
"Thelonius Monk is arguably the
greatest composer of songs in modern
jazz, and it was a big challenge to
interpret his work in a way that was
personal," said Hersch, 42, who has
recorded 16 albums, including four
solos.
"Monk was a pianist, and there are
numerous recordings of his playing his
own pieces. [Part of] the challenge was
to find a way to do something [new]
that respected what he wrote and his
idiosyncratic style. -
"I'm very happy with the piano
sounds that we got and which reflect
what I wanted to accomplish. When
I've done an entire CD devoted to the
music of one composer, I've tried to
paint my own portrait as well, and I
feel this was pretty successful."
Hersch, who has been doing many
international concerts over the past
two years, devotes a considerable
amount of time to raising funds for
programs that fight AIDS.
"I've been HIV positive for about
12 years and decided to go public with
my story at the time of the release of
several recording projects that had to
do with AIDS," the pianist explained.
"It became quite a large news story
"I felt like I needed to get it out
into the world so I wouldn't have to
worry about who knew and who did-
n't. I think it's important to come out
about things including sexual orienta-
tion because then I have an idea about
where I stand with people.
"The negative energy amassed by
storing something up and being in the
closet wasn't good for me as an artist
and isn't good for people in general.
We need to be able to be ourselves."
Hersch, who grew up in
Cincinnati, was playing the piano by
ear at age 4. In his teens, when he dis-
covered jazz, he knew this style of
music would become his career.
After graduating from the New
England Conservatory in 1977, he
moved to New York and started to
play professionally. He soon found a
great opportunity at a small jazz club
and went on to appear with bands.
"My career in New York has been
in three parts," Hersch said. "The first
nine years served as an apprenticeship

period, when I played with masters
like Stan Getz, toured, recorded, got a
sense of how to lead a band and start-
ed to write.
"In the '80s, I opened a recording
studio business in my loft in Soho and
had that for about five years. I contin-
ued to play and record, but I took
myself off the scene a little bit and
learned a lot about making recordings.
"In 1987, I pretty much pulled the
plug on the studio to focus on my
own work. It was hard to keep up
with the technological changes, and I
didn't like doing business with people
that I knew."
Hersch composes for certain situa-
tions or people. Sometimes he sets
poems to music, and other times he
accepts commissions.
"Tango Bittersweet," for example,
pays tribute to a cellist who used to be
in his band.
"Right now, I'm working on a com-
mission for the Kennedy Center,"
Hersch revealed. "It will be a 25- or
30-minute piece for a dance company
and will premiere in May 1999. I'll be
playing piano [for the program]."
Hersch believes that his commit-
ment to community causes is a result
of his Jewish background. His father
was a board member of the Hebrew
Union College.
"I certainly identify with being
Jewish, but I wouldn't say that I'm
particularly observant," Hersch said.
"One of the things I like the most
about Judaism is the idea that there
isn't a heaven or damnation in an
afterlife. I like the idea that you sort of
live on in the memories of people who
knew you.
"I feel fine now. I take a lot of pills
and fortunately have good health
insurance. Beyond that, I have a very
active life and an active tour and
recording schedule. I write a monthly
column for Keyboard magazine, and I
have some very gifted private stu-
dents.
"I've been seeing somebody for
about a year. He's not Jewish, but we
enjoy a lot of the same things. We
don't cohabit, but we do travel togeth-
er some. He has a second home in
upstate New York, where we spend a
lot of weekends." 0

Fred Hersch performs 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 17, at the
Kerrytown Concert House, 415
N. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
$10/$8 students; $15 assigned
seating rows 3-5/$25 rows 1-2.
(313) 769-2999.

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