Fred Hersch: My Funny Valentine
Musicians:
Fred Hersch (piano),
Drew Gress (bass), Tom Rainey (drums)
.Composed by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
.Recorded: New York, December 1992
Rating: 95/100 (learn more)
Put simply, Fred Hersch is one of the world's finest jazz pianists, and every day that he can share his musical vision with us is a blessing. This version of "My Funny Valentine" shows how he and his trio bring fresh light to a familiar standard. Hersch shifts from the song's usual key of C minor down to A minor, giving the entire performance a different feel. Gress and Rainey provide an unusual and subtle beat that lightly pulsates rather than swings. Hersch's ultra-lyrical lines float above the time through most of the performance until near the end, when he picks up an insistent rhythmic motive hinted at earlier in his solo and builds it to a peak. Gress contributes a lovely solo based on a single melodic idea, and Rainey's brushwork is tasty throughout.
Reviewer: Thomas Cunniffe
Tags: 1990s jazz · my funny valentine · piano trio · richard rodgers covers
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