Fred Hersch's Leaves Of Grass
The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center
New York, NY
September 15, 2017

Walt Whitman's Leaves Of Grass may be the ultimate contemplation on man's commonalities and singularities, underscoring what binds all of humanity and what distinguishes each of us as individuals. And so it's only fitting that Fred Hersch's celebrated musical meditation on the magisterial bard's magnum opus should not only explore said theme, but also amplify it, speaking to the universal in song while highlighting what makes each and every person unique in their very being.

The thematic and poetic umbrella covering Hersch's most ambitious work addresses that line of Whitman's thinking, but so, too, does each riveting moment within the greater whole. Those already familiar with this piece, either from one of a scant few live performances that took place between its 2003 premiere and the present or through the 2005 Palmetto album vividly documenting it in perpetuity, probably knew that coming into this concert, the first of four spread out over two nights. But the uninitiated were likely unprepared for the macro-and micro-level spirit of inclusive beauty endemic to this long-form composition.

Before the concert began, Hersch made certain to pave the way for success in continuity by asking the audience to hold applause typically given out at the conclusion of solos so that the seventy minutes of music could play out as it was meant to, in "one unified dramatic arc." That request was granted without issue and the performance was as close to perfect as things get. While it's one thing to marvel at this music on an album made in a studio which allows for a degree of safety and privacy in the creative process, it's something entirely different—and greater—to see and hear it unfold without pause on a stage. From the opening groove work of "A Riddle Song (Overture)" on through till the end, everything just clicked.

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