Customer Reviews

Leaves of Grass

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As Fred Hersch points out in his liner notes, since the syncopated rhythms of Walt Whitman's poems led directly to the bebop of the Beat Poets, why not set Leaves of Grass to jazz? Selecting 17 passages from Whitman -- 11 of them from Song of Myself -- Hersch adds four horn players, a cellist and two vocalists to his trio to create "a small-scale oratorio." Kate McGarry caresses the spiritual lyrics in "Song of the Universal"; in "The Mystic Trumpeter," she scats with Ralph Alessi, who in turn contributes a cutesy trill on flugelhorn at the outset of "I Celebrate Myself." On "The Sleepers," Whitman's fantasy of universal brotherhood, Tony Malaby's tenor sax complements Kurt Elling's falsetto, with the rhythm section providing a sleepy, minimalist drone. In "A Child Said, `What Is the Grass?'" Hersch's orchestration soars from tenderness to ecstasy.
Most people, perhaps understandably, will browse over jazz-piano-guy-with-nerdy-name-plus-some-poet and walk on by. But if the Venn diagrams of your interests include Whitman and jazz, why not have them intersect? What I assume, you shall assume; we contain multitudes. So does Leaves of Grass.

If Andrew Lloyd Webber can set the poetry of T.S. Elliott to music ("Cats"), why can't a composer like Fred Hersch do the same with Walt Whitman? Fortunately, for music AND poetry lovers, this jazz pianist and composer has done a less "theatrical"/more reverant exploration of the source material. Hersch is an extraordinary solo pianist and leader of his own critically-acclaimed jazz trio, but he's also a composer who continues to stretch his artistry beyond the boundaries of his genre. With "Leaves of Grass," he creates new musical landscapes that blend elements of both jazz and classical music. The result is a listening experience like no other. While the tone is soft and gentle, this is hardly background music for Sunday morning coffee and the New York Times. Rather, like Whitman's masterpiece for which it is named, it is a contemplative work to savor and revisit like a favorite book of poems. Joined by hipster crooner Kurt Elling, jazz songstress Kate McGarry and seven instrumentalists, Hersch tackles Whitman's epic 600-page tome with aplomb, interpreting the poetry in both melody and spoken word. It's difficult to categorize this work: a jazz/classical chamberpiece cantata might be one way. A compelling excuse to pour a glass of wine or a cup of tea and shut out the noise of the world might be another.

This is a wonderful cd. I searched everywhere for it...was thrilled when I found it on amazon! The vocals are amazing!!!

This work is simply beautiful, transporting one into a world of ethereal finesse and high art. Don't believe me? Buy this and listen for yourself - I am sure if you have any sense of beauty, you will agree.

m o r e a l b u m s l i k e t h i s n e e d t o b e m a d e ..... v e r y i n s p i r i n g