Fred Hersch Trio - Dancing In The Dark (Hybrid SACD)
Piano - Fred Hersch
Bass – Drew Gress
Drums – Tom Rainey
Written by Cole Porter (1), J. Fred Coots (2), Sam M. Lewis (2), Jule Styne (3), Sammy Cahn (3), Leo Robin (4), Ralph Rainger (4), Arthur Schwartz (5), Howard Dietz (5), Edward Heyman (6), John Green (6), Paul Francis Webster (7), Sammy Fain (7), Dimitri Tiomkin (8), Ned Washington (8), Jerome Kern (9), Oscar Hammerstein (9), Lorenz Hart (10), Richard Rodgers (10), Mort Dixon (11), Ray Henderson (11)
1 Hybrid SACD
Original analog Master tape : YES
Stereo
Studio
Label : Chesky Records - Chesky Original Masters Series
Original label : Chesky Records
Recorded on December 3 & 4, 1992 at Mastersound Studios, Astonia, N.Y.
Recorded by Bob Katz
Produced by David Chesky, Fred Hersch
Executive-Producer – Norman Chesky
Mastered by Nicolas Prout
Originally released in 1993
Reissued in September 2025
Tracks :
- So In Love
- For All We Know
- I Fall In Love Too Easily
- If I Should Lose You
- Dancing In The Dark
- Out Of Nowhere
- Secret Love
- Wild Is The Wind
- All The Things You Are
- My Funny Valentine
- Bye Bye Blackbird
Reviews:
“Fred Hersch and his bandmates interpret 11 standards on their fine album, Dancing in the Dark. Hersch is a lyrical player who possesses a light touch and a sophisticated sense of style. His playing is unmistakably influenced by Bill Evans, and his trio work is marked by some of the characteristics that made Evans' best trios so memorable: cohesive, "whole is greater than the sum of its parts," musical communication. Drew Gress (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums) are outstanding throughout these 70 minutes and their efforts become even more apparent with repeated listenings. The best tracks on Dancing in the Dark happen to also be the least well known; the brisk "So in Love," the delicate, solo vehicle "If I Should Lose You," the soft, orchestral "Wild Is the Wind," and the bright, swinging title piece. Though he occasionally takes a dissonant, avant-garde approach ("Out of Nowhere"), it is clearly not his most effective style. Hersch is at is best when he "sings" on the piano and his ballad playing is consistently first rate. This is a quality album, branded by excellent trio playing and tasteful interpretations of the standard repertoire.” AllMusic Review by Brian Bartolini
Released in 1993 by the noted audiophile label Chesky Records, Dancing In The Dark is a remarkable exploration of the Great American Songbook by the Fred Hersch Trio. Originally a classically trained pianist from Cincinnati, Ohio, Hersch made his mark in New York City in the 1980s when he played with jazz legends Chris Connor and Joe Henderson. After debuting for Chesky Records in 1991 with a quintet record called Forward Motion, he downsized his band to a trio for Dancing In The Dark.
Teaming up with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tom Rainey, Hersch offered spectacular new treatments of timeless tunes such as "I Fall In Love Too Easily," "For All We Know," and "My Funny Valentine." With their near-telepathic interplay, the trio offered new perspectives on well-worn evergreens, showing how jazz and its improvisational ethos could take familiar melodies and harmonic frameworks and transform them into new and exciting aural adventures. Rewarded with a Grammy nomination, Dancing In The Dark remains one of the essential, go-to records in both Hersch's and Chesky's back catalog.
Ratings:
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.42 / 5