Songs From Home

Album review

In the early days of the global pandemic, Fred Hersch invited his fans to a daily rendezvous on his Facebook page and performed a live track for them. It was an initiative called Tune of the Day that inspired and contributed to his aptly named album Songs From Home. The American pianist selected 10 themes that he is particularly fond of, both nostalgic and intimate, and recorded them on his Steinway solo in the peace and tranquillity of his home in rural Pennsylvania. He said, “It’s kind of a comfort food album with a little badass stuff in there too. I didn’t want to make an easy listening record, but I did want to play some music that would make people happy”. It’s an album that comes as Hersch celebrates his 65th birthday and he, just like his fellow musicians, is entering an era of uncertainty. “All of my musician friends are faced with similar challenges at this time. The rug got pulled out from under us and our identity has been taken away. So all of us are thinking about how we’re going to make a living until we reach whatever the new paradigm becomes”. Flying blind in this album, Fred Hersch immediately cuts to the chase and showcases the full extent of his impressive playing.

 The former teacher of Brad Mehldau is arguably today’s most underestimated contemporary jazzman and Songs From Home is a luscious series of original takes on an eclectic selection of tracks. From pop classics (Jim Webb’s legendary Wichita Lineman popularised by Glen Campbell, All I Want by Joni Mitchell, When I’m Sixty Four by the Beatles), to jazz standards (Duke Ellington’s Solitude), hidden gems (Kenny Wheeler’s wonderful Consolation (A Folk Song) and the Great American Songbook (Cole Porter’s Get Out of Town), this album is all about conveying the semantic meaning of the melodies, with a cosy atmosphere and complex design. Fred Hersch never has bad taste in music – there’s not one note too many and not one ounce of complacency, everything is essential. And so is this solo album. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz