Alive at the Village Vanguard

Alive at the Village Vanguard is a collaborative live album by pianist Fred Hersch and jazz singer Esperanza Spalding.[3][4] Palmetto Records released the album on 6 January 2023.[5]

Alive at the Village Vanguard
Live album by
Fred Hersch, Esperanza Spalding
Released6 January 2023
Recorded19–21 October 2018
VenueVillage Vanguard, NYC
GenreJazz
Length67:30
LabelPalmetto
ProducerFred Hersch, Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding chronology
Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival
(2022)		 Alive at the Village Vanguard
(2023)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Jazzwise[2]

Background

The album marks Hersch's sixth release recorded in the storied venue. He explained, "This recording sounds like you’re in the best seat in the Vanguard for a very live experience. You can really feel the vitality of the room, of the audience, and of our interplay. We decided on the word Alive for the album title as you can really feel the intimacy and energy of the performances."[6] Spalding does not play a bass here, performing vocal parts only.[7]

Reception

Matt Collar of AllMusic wrote, "Alive at the Village Vanguard captures pianist Fred Hersch and vocalist Esperanza Spalding in an intimate yet inventively expressive duo performance. On first glance, the combination of Hersch (a veteran performer known for his lyrical standards work) and Spalding (a virtuoso bassist and singer known for her highly conceptual, genre-bending albums) may seem like an odd pairing."[1] A reviewer of Jazz Trail commented, "Without major arrangements, this piano-voice duo recording captured live at New York's Village Vanguard, shows off the many musical qualities of Fred Hersch and Esperanza Spalding. The pair imbues most of the tunes with a quirky perspective and humor, but I felt this work more as an audience entertainment rather than an audio recording to be revisited."[8]

Jeff Tamarkin writing for Relix added, "Eight numbers, most of them standards from one era or another, were recorded up close and personal, sans any embellishment, albeit with audience sounds left intact as nature intended."[9] Jon W. Poses of Chicago Daily Tribune commented, "There are a lot of things that really make listening to and absorbing the compressed session wonderful, but what stands out to me is the overall whimsical, fanciful aesthetic — it’s omnipresent. These two are really at ease with each other’s musical quirks, twists and turns."[10]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."But Not for Me"George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin9:32
2."Dream of Monk"Fred Hersch7:36
3."Little Suede Shoes"Charlie Parker9:03
4."Girl Talk"Bobby Troup, Neal Hefti12:03
5."Evidence"Thelonious Monk6:35
6."Some Other Time"Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn8:29
7."Loro"Egberto Gismonti9:37
8."A Wish"Fred Hersch, Norma Winstone4:35
Total length:67:30

Personnel
Band
  • Fred Hersch – piano, producing
  • Esperanza Spalding – voices, producing
Production
  • Douglas Heusser – design
  • Erika Kapin – photography
  • Missi Callazzo – executive producer
  • Geoff Countryman – assistant engineer
  • James Farber – engineer
  • Tyler McDiarmid – assistant engineer, mixing
  • Nate Wood – mastering

References
  1. Collar, Matt (2023). "Alive at the Village Vanguard by Fred Hersch, Esperanza Spalding Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. Nicholson, Stuart. "Fred Hersch and Esperanza Spalding: Alive at the Village Vanguard". Jazzwise. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  3. "An Evening with Fred Hersch and esperanza spalding | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. "An Evening with Fred Hersch and esperanza spalding - 2023-01-27 - - Yoshi's - Oakland CA". Yoshi's. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. "Fred Hersch & esperanza spalding Release Album & Tour Dates". Palmetto Records. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. "Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hersch Announce 'Alive at the Village Vanguard'". Bass Magazine. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. Whitehead, Kevin (March 14, 2023). "Esperanza Spalding teams up with pianist Fred Hersch in this 'Vanguard' recording". NPR. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. "Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding - Alive at the Village Vanguard". JazzTrail | NY Jazz Scene | Album Reviews | Jazz Photography. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. Tamarkin, Jeff (17 February 2023). "Fred Hersch & esperanza spalding: Alive at the Village Vanguard". Relix. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  10. Poses, Jon W. "Notes and tones: Hersch, spalding come 'Alive' on upcoming record". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
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