DATE: Monday, October 6, 1997               TAG: 9710040063

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   70 lines

JAZZMAN HERSCH LIKES TO PROVIDE LISTNENERS WITH NEW TWISTS

JAZZ MUSICIAN Fred Hersch doesn't see much spark in modern pianists, though he still pursues the elusive music form.

The longtime New Yorker will play a program of standards and originals tonight at ODU's Chandler Recital Hall. Joining him are bassist Scott Colley and drummer Jeff Hirschfield.

Hersch, a Grammy nominee in 1993, is only one of the leading voices tickling modern ivories, though much of the attention he has garnered over the years has been as an avid spokesperson for AIDS-related causes.

Right now, he is knee-deep in Swee' Pea and Monk. Last year's lauded ``Passion Flower,'' an album of Billy Strayhorn compositions, is in bigger record stores now, and his forthcoming ``Thelonious'' will breath new life into 11 Monk classics.

Hersch said he doesn't mind reworking Strayhorn, one of jazz's most revered arrangers, or Monk, the master of subtle, thoughtful, bop-tinged composers.

``People enjoy the new twists,'' he said.

With Monk, Hersch played with themes in some of the best thought-out compositions for jazz piano. While standards rely on a common theme and a melody, Monk uses the theme as a jumping point for expression.

Explaining his treatment of ``Ask Me Now,'' Hersch said: ``We took the melody, splintered it and redid it as kind of a high, pastel floating thing. The way Monk played it is very deliberate, almost plodding.

``For me, I always need to find a personal way to interpret the tune that still honors the composer.''

It all started in Cincinnati for Hersch with a Lester baby grand. His parents got it for him when he was 4. He learned to play classically at first but turned to jazz and improv after being influenced by ``straight-ahead jazz records.''

He spent two years at the New England Conservatory of Music. Two days after graduation, he was in New York. Another fortunate note in his career is that he played at a time when apprenticeships were a very real experience.

``I was lucky to come along before all this jazz education stuff came along,'' he said. ``I got to go out to clubs, sit in, get my butt kicked and go home to listen to some more records and do it again. It helped me develop a more personal approach.''

It happened by working with greats such as Sam Jones, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Art Farmer and Charlie Hayden.

``I wanted to play with the best,'' he said.

Real players, such as Detroit legend and Ella Fitzgerald sideman Tommy Flanagan and Ahmad Jamal, shaped his idea of playing. Since he's been in New York, Hersch has demonstrated a prolific and strongly voiced knack for rearranging, interpreting and composing.

When he goes back to recordings, they are by Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and Monk. They don't change. ``Old friends,'' he calls them. His piano of choice these days is a Steinway grand.

Though New York's Soho is less of the creative mecca that it once was, he still calls it home. ``Affordable rent,'' he explained.

Even in the city's busy club scene, Hersch has found few modern players who get him going.

``There are not that many that really kill me,'' he said. ``But I have high expectations. . . . Having lived in New York 20 years and having heard so many great players, I don't rush out to hear that much jazz anymore.''

Playing, however, is never dull.

``You have to feel pretty good about what you do,'' he said. ``You have to believe you have something to say. But as soon as you think you've got it down, you don't. This kind of music is really elusive.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Fox

Fred Hersch KEYWORDS: INTERVIEW

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu