Pianist/composer Fred Hersch and vocalist/bassist/songwriter esperanza spalding can both be counted among the most acclaimed and inventive artists in modern jazz. In an exquisitely intimate evening, 15-time Grammy nominee Hersch (called by The New Yorker “a living legend”) and multiple Grammy award winner esperanza spalding (whom NPR cites as “the 21st Century’s first jazz genius”) take the stage for an evening of songs from the Great American Songbook, music from Brazil, and jazz compositions – including several penned by Hersch.

The evening also celebrates the release of their new album Alive at the Village Vanguard (due out January 6, 2023), showcasing the astonishing chemistry shared by these two master musicians who bring out distinctive aspects in each other’s playing. Audience members will see spalding step out from behind the bass, “revealing that she is not just a phenomenal scat singer but also a charming and imaginative improvisational storyteller.” Don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness the remarkable chemistry of this thrilling collaboration.

Fred Hersch
A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Fred Hersch is an influential creative force who has shaped the course of music over more than three decades. A fifteen-time Grammy nominee, Hersch has long set the standard for expressive interpretation and inventive creativity. A revered improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist, Hersch has been proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair, “an elegant force of musical invention” by The L.A. Times, and “a living legend” by The New Yorker. For decades Hersch has been firmly entrenched as one of the most acclaimed and captivating pianists in modern jazz, whether through his exquisite solo performances, as the leader of one of jazz’s era-defining trios, or in eloquent dialogue with his deeply attuned duo partners. His brilliant 2017 memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly, was named one of 2017’s Five Best Memoirs by the Washington Post and The New York Times.

esperanza spalding (does not capitalize her name)
Five-time Grammy Award-winning visionary esperanza spalding aims to ignite and portray various hues of vital human energies through composition, singing, bass playing, and live performance. A lover of all music, especially improvisation-based music emerging from black American culture, spalding’s musical aesthetic is prismatic. With projects like Radio Music Society, Chamber Music Society, Emily’s D+ Evolution, and 12 Little Spells, she has inventively combined and reimagined influences from jazz, funk, rock, musical theater, and beyond. She has taught at Berklee College of Music and Harvard University, founded the Songwrights Apothecary Lab, and wrote the opera …(Iphigenia) in collaboration with Wayne Shorter.