Fred Hersch (Provided photo)

KEENE VALLEY — Acclaimed jazz pianist Fred Hersch will perform a solo concert in Keene Valley this summer at the Keene Valley Congregational Church, presented by East Branch Friends of the Arts, Thursday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m.. Hersch has won a staggering number of awards and honors, including 17 Grammy nominations, a Guggenheim Fellowship, Doris Duke Jazz Artist award, and multiple awards from the leading jazz journals and organizations around the world.

Hersch has been featured as a leader or soloist on over 60 recordings for several of the most prominent jazz record labels and has collaborated with many other incredible artists including Bill Frisell, Renee Fleming and Stan Getz. He has been called “a living legend” by The New Yorker, and “the most innovative pianist in jazz over the past decade” by Vanity Fair.

Hersch is known for his hauntingly beautiful and elegant improvisations, not only on jazz standards but also on pop and folk music classics, as well as his own compositions. He has been widely lauded as having a unique ability to simultaneously celebrate the jazz tradition and stretch tradition by incorporating elements from other styles. The New York Times has described him as “a master who plays it his way.”

Hersch’s life as one of the first openly gay jazz musicians, and his health struggles, have only increased his ability to connect emotionally with audiences around the world. His story was the subject of a feature documentary, “The Ballad of Fred Hersch,” by filmmakers Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde, and his memoir, “Good Things Happen Slowly,” was named as one of the best memoirs of 2017 by the Washington Post and New York Times. He is a dedicated educator with generations of professional students and has been on the faculty of Julliard, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music and other leading music programs.

For reservations, visit eastbranchfriendsofthearts.com.