Patrick Jarenwattananon explains his Grammy pick of Fred Hersch for best jazz solo:
The pianist's improvisation on the Monk tune, taken from a solo performance at the Village Vanguard, dares to be different. It's got this two-hand independence thing going on, as if it were some sort of improvised baroque fugue. Hersch shoots off in all sorts of different directions through what feels like the piano's entire range, but he still implies this rock-solid swing undercurrent in perfect time. (You can hear it at the Palmetto Records website.) That aesthetic of swinging from another planet is sort of what Monk did, though this sounds nothing like Monk. I'd like a solo this creative to take home the prize.
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