Six weeks after his extraordinary appearance with Igor Levit in Bochum, jazz pianist Fred Hersch returns for the fourth time to the Ruhr Piano Festival – this time as the leader of a jazz piano trio, the queen of all jazz ensembles. Born in Cincinnati, Hersch has always preferred small ensembles, and since 1985 he has been the leader of several jazz trios in the usual, “classical” line-up, in long-lasting collaborations with top-notch bassists and drummers. This year he returns to the Essen Philharmonie in company of two old companions who have been at his side in several stages of his artistic career. Joey Baron, one of the most sought-after drummers on the jazz scene, was a member of Hersch’s very first trio in the mid-1980s; then, in the 1990s and 2000s, Drew Gress was Hersch’s preferred double bassist. Along with their leader, these musicians form a living musical entity that has had time to grow and mature. Despite an incalculable profusion of trios on the jazz scene, it is no coincidence that Hersch’s ensembles are always reckoned among the very best, and the same applies to Hersch as a solo artist. Outstanding artists such as Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson (the spiritus rector of the avant-garde jazz trio The Bad Plus) were among his pupils. Jason Moran even compares Hersch with a superstar of one of the most beloved US sports: “Fred at the piano is like LeBron James on the basketball court. He’s perfection.”