Tracks
- Woe v Shade 2. Tornado Watch 3. Parallel Motion 4. Toys 5. In the Midst 6. Everlasting 7. Concessions 8. Do What You Will 9. Expansion and Retention 10. Propellant
Performers
Evan Abounassar – trumpet
Devin Daniels – alto saxophone
Andrew Renfroe – guitar
Adam Hersh – piano, Rhodes, Moog Matriarch
Jermaine Paul – double bass
Myles Martin – drums
Recorded on February 13, 2023, at Sam First Jazz Club, Los Angeles, California
Release date: May 17, 2024
Los Angeles–based pianist, keyboardist, and composer Adam Hersh was born in Castaic, California. Since graduating from California State University, Northridge, he has been a regular on the Los Angeles jazz scene as both leader and sideman, performing with highly regarded musicians such as Bob Sheppard, Mike Moreno, Joel Frahm, Munir Hossn, Gary Novak, Andrew Renfroe, Gene Coye, Max Gerl, Josh Nelson, Ron Stout, Jon Hatamiya, Charles Ruggiero, and Ben Van Gelder.
He released his debut album, House Roots, a fusion jazz record featuring synthesizers, in 2020. Coinciding with the pandemic, it was recorded entirely remotely. In 2022 and 2023, he embarked on two major projects inspired by two of his musical influences. The first was a complete transcription of Wayne Shorter’s Grammy Award–winning orchestral fusion album High Life, released in 1995. The second project focused on a selection of compositions by the iconic fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth, which Hersh performed with his longtime collaborator Gary Novak on drums.
He has just released his second album as leader, titled Tornado Watch. Hersh is drawn to composition because, as he explains, playing your own music gives you much greater freedom; you’re not working with someone else’s concepts. In this work, he presents a collection of nine original compositions and one cover. Hersh has frequently performed at Sam First, one of L.A.’s top jazz clubs, and chose to record there to capture the essence of a live performance. For this, he assembled a sextet of friends.
Hersh’s compositions on this album show Brazilian, classical, and hip-hop influences.
Hersh takes the lead on Rhodes in Woe v Shade, which he wrote the day the Supreme Court issued its decision on women’s reproductive freedom. Martin sets an energetic tempo, and Renfroe delivers a guitar solo.
The title track, Tornado Watch, was inspired by a tornado that struck New Orleans. Hersh and his partner followed the progress of the storm because his partner’s sister lives in the city. Once again, Hersh plays the Rhodes. The title serves as an allegory for the times we live in—a slowly moving storm that affects the entire planet.
Parallel Motion is a composition with a strong personality and a futuristic sound.
Toys is the only piece on the album not written by Hersh. It was composed by Herbie Hancock, and as an introduction, Hersh uses an African rhythm called Maloya, a style of music from Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Daniels brings a hard bop sound. It’s an excellent piece and an excellent performance.
In the Midst brings calm with its catchy melody. It is the only track on the album with overdubbing, specifically Moog textures that Hersh added after the initial recording.
Brazilian influence can be heard in Everlasting, a lyrical ballad.
Concessions was written as a tribute to Cedar Walton, a piece full of energy.
Do What You Will was composed by Hersh after reading a social media post by Marcel Camargo, a Brazilian musician born and based in Los Angeles. In his post, Camargo invited people to send him original compositions, and Hersh wrote this piece in response. Improvisation dominates the track.
The rhythmic changes in Expansion and Retention occur constantly, driven by the bass and drums.
The album closes with Propellant, a piece influenced by Brazilian and Cuban music, especially in the trumpet and saxophone solos.
Hersh belongs to a younger generation of jazz musicians who, through their approach to the genre, can help a new generation of listeners connect with jazz.
Tornado Watch is a highly musical album, offering fresh, vibrant jazz.
La Habitación del Jazz