Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Fred Hersch follows his critically acclaimed Nonesuch debut, Passion Flower, with a solo piano album of Rodgers & Hammerstein music that includes twelve of the legendary songwriting duo’s most inspired songs. The pianist interprets selections from Oklahoma, South Pacific, The King and I, State Fair, Me and Juliet, and Cinderella, including “No Other Love,” “It Might As Well Be Spring,” “I Have Dreamed,” “People Say We’re In Love,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” and others.

Hersch grew up with Rodgers & Hammerstein melodies, even before he discovered jazz, and they have been a constant part of his musical world. “From hearing original cast albums on our family’s Philco to playing yellowed sheet music on my grandmother’s piano to accompanying the fifth-grade choir in selections from The Sound of Music," he says, "I have always been drawn to the rich harmonies and timeless melodies of these songs and the way that they express universal sentiments so beautifully.”

A familiar face at major jazz venues and festivals in the United States, Europe, South America and Japan, Hersch has been equally at home in the recording studio and has collaborated with numerous jazz instrumentalists, including Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Jane Ira Bloom, Art Farmer, Charlie Haden, and Eddie Daniels.