Fred Hersch

A prolific, sophisticated and conceptually ambitious musician, the pianist spent more than two months of 2008 comatose in the hospital. Thankfully, he says he's made a full recovery. He proved it with his trio live on stage.

Pianist and composer Fred Hersch has created his own jazz-infused arrangement of texts from Walt Whitman's exultant poem Leaves of Grass. We take you to Zankel Hall for the New York premiere.

The last year and a half hasn't been easy for Fred Hersch: The award-winning jazz pianist and composer spent months in a coma and almost died. But he has a new album out — Live at the Jazz Standard — and he's performing again at New York's famed Village Vanguard.

Lyric soprano Renée Fleming is a familiar face on the world's greatest opera stages, but on her latest CD, Haunted Heart, she makes a leap to the worlds of jazz, pop and folk. She talks with NPR's Fred Child about her foray into non-operatic territory.

In his 30-year career, musician Fred Hersch has performed in solo, duo, trio and quintet settings. In 2003 he received the prestigious Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, which he used to work on his latest project, Leaves of Grass. For it, Hersch leads a 10-piece ensemble, which includes vocalists singing the words of Walt Whitman set to compositions by Hersch. He is touring the ensemble this month.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album from the prolific composer and pianist Fred Hersch. It's called Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra, Live at the Jazz Standard.

Lyric soprano Renée Fleming is a familiar face on the world's greatest opera stages, but on her latest CD, Haunted Heart, she makes a leap to the worlds of jazz, pop and folk. She talks with NPR's Fred Child about her foray into non-operatic territory.