Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz

by Fred Hersch

Jazz could not contain Fred Hersch. His prodigious talent as a sideman--a pianist who played with the giants of the twentieth century in the autumn of their careers, including Art Farmer and Joe Henderson--blos-somed further in the eighties and beyond into a compositional genius that defied the boundaries of bop, sweeping in elements of pop, classical, and folk to create a wholly new music.
Good Things Happen Slowly is his memoir. It's the story of the first openly gay, HIV-positive jazz player, and a deep look into the cloistered jazz culture that made such a status both transgressive and groundbreaking. It is a remarkable, at times lyrical evocation of New York in the twilight days of post-Stonewall hedonism, and a powerfully brave narrative of the illness that led to Hersch's two-month-long coma in 2007, from which he would emerge to create some of the finest, most direct and emotionally compelling music of his career.

Genres: Jazz, Music, Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, LGBT, Autobiography

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2017

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A biography of the jazz musician. For the most part, it's a pretty standard Baby Boomer biography. Apparently, the whole generation lived the same lives. The difference is that Hersch is homosexual, and contacted AIDS during the epidemic days of the 1980s. He managed to survive, and continue making music.

Not bad, but you can skip a lot of it if you ever read a biography from his generation.

[Kevin Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Fred Hersch's music before I knew he was gay, before I knew he had AIDS, and before I heard he was in a coma for two months in 2008. Now I love his music even more because of the way he writes about it, and about his life. His voice in this book is gentle, full of humility (even as he describes his aggressiveness on the club scene in his early days), and tinted with wonder over his own successes. Which, of course, include still being alive at the age of 64.

I listened to many of Fred's records as I read the book, and the combination of words and music made for a warm, intimate portrait of a jazz great.

[Robert Reinhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fred Hersch is an amazing person and this life so far story of the growth of the musician, man, lover, activist, spirit confirms the world needs what he offers. He creates beauty and rhythm because he hears and sees it all around him and in others and that's true in the midst of all the forces and illness that could have stopped him from being that way. He recounts how it took him a long time to integrate or harmonize the different parts of his life - musician, gay man -but the whole connected human being keeps pulsing. He's a total mensch. Also by the way, as jazz music history and the life of the artist this is a great read. If he mentions a musician or artist or song to recommend, you'd be well advised to take him up on it. I never heard of Nancy King before reading this book and she has an amazing voice.

[Julene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fred Hersch is an award winning jazz pianist who has played with a wide girth of jazz musicians. His memoir recounts his history growing up knowing he could play piano well, knowing he was gay, and of course AIDS enters the picture. His experience of moving into a loft in SOHO (NYC) is interesting; most of the buildings with lofts were industrial, so they had to be outfitted to live in, when someone moved out and a new tenant moved in, a fixture fee was paid to the former inhabitant who made it livable.

The title comes from what a doctor told Fred Hersch's partner, Scott Morgan, when he was in a coma in the hospital, "Good Things Happen Slowly. Bad things happen fast." Sitting with him day after day hoping he would come out of it. His diagnosis, ""fevers of unknown origin.” And a secondary pneumonia, Klebsiella, a deadly strain that can strike people in a deeply compromised state." When he came out of the coma he remembered dreams and composed music to represent them, these pieces became a play, My Coma Dreams, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1e-A...

In his long career, he also composed music for Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."

This quote moved me: “Still, it has always seemed to me that effective activism doesn’t need to be so visible. There’s an activism that comes from just being who you are—setting an example and making a statement, minute by minute, in your daily life. If you actively live life as an open human being, that’s a kind of activism.” He raised a lot of money for AIDS organizations with some of his concerts, he did his part while devoted to his career. The book travels through his ups and downs, the long journey of being an artist, staying true to himself, and surviving AIDS from a time when it was a sure death sentence for so many. The book is an inspiration.

[Jern-yi]

Wow. I really dug this read! Much like Hersch's music, there was something raw and intimate in his narrative. He reveals much about himself as a person in this book, which I loved. The anecdote on bassist Bud Hunt made me chuckle-he don't sell you pot if he don't think you play well enough. Personally love his references to his classical influences - Bach's suites and partitas especially - and how he incorporates these genres so thoughtfully into his music and sound.

This reading experience was accompanied with Fred hersch music. I enjoyed especially Songs Without Words. As someone who loves solo piano settings, am glad he has a wide solo piano output. Yet to watch My Coma Dreams, which I'd like to.

[Moritz Mueller-Freitag · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revelatory memoir by one of the finest jazz pianists of our time. Hersch was diagnosed HIV-positive in the 1980s and later fell into a two-month, near-death coma. His artistic rebirth was nothing short of a miracle. Gripping narrative!

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was totally absorbed in this incredible autobiography of/by Fred Hersch (after hearing him speak about the book on the Leonard Lopate Show/WNYC-FM) and found his story compelling and instructive. As someone interested in creativity and creative people, although I'm not a musician, I found many tips that any creative person could benefit from. However, the meat of the book is Fred's journey to accept himself as a gay man in a field where most men are straight (or closeted), his return to health after a 2-month coma, and his eventually meeting a man who would become his life partner. An added plus is the history of the AIDS epidemic in its early years before people really knew what they were dealing with, which resulted in Fred's becoming an activist. His honesty, warmth, vulnerability, and sensitivity make this book compulsively readable and rewarding.

[Mike Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sort of skimmed the end as it became so much of the same thing--a book everyone would want to write about themselves. Hersch faced many challenges, including grave health issues mostly associated with AIDS, but we are asked to congratulate the writer/musician for overcoming them and making a success of himself. There could have been less self-absorbed detail.

[David Cerruti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent memoir.
Before reading this book, I recommend watching this film, The Ballad of Fred Hersch, 1:14:14, free on Vimeo at:
https://vimeo.com/145825359?fbclid=Iw...

[Robert Poor · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz" by jazz pianist Fred Hersch is a terrific autobiography that depicts his journey from piano prodigy in Cincinnati to the rarefied air of renowned jazz recording artist and concert pianist in solo, duo, trio and many other settings. The book also depicts his journey from youth to adulthood, coming out as a gay man in the hedonous '70s,through the AIDS '80s, ultimately becoming HIV positive, and suffering through the eighties and early nineties with many harrowing symptoms and near catastrophes until AIDS medications improved. His near-death experience (several months in a coma with AIDS-related dementia and physical afflictions), prolonged recovery and therapy with much medical help and the love of a good man named Scott Morgan are told warmly, matter-of-factly, and are a nice set-up for the realistic, happy, hopeful ending.

This book is a lovely read, told with humor, humility, and honesty. (Lot of H words here ...) I had listened to Fred Hersch before I read Fred Hersch. His style is cool, what I would call Americana Jazz (he calls it "Fred Hersch Music"). He is classically trained, but at heart an improvisor, and hence a jazzman. His music reminds me a bit of guitarist Bill Frisell, of whom I am a fan, which must have occurred to him too, because they recorded a terrific duos album together ("Songs We Know" 1998). To me, Americana Jazz has elements of jazz, Broadway, classical and folk/blues embedded in it. I am more of a music fan than a music student, so this blend seems completely natural to me. As an aside, I was once listening to the radio and heard a terrific pianist playing a cool solo number and wondered who it was - Bill Evans, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, or a younger jazz player. As the song ended and the announcer came back on the radio, I was surprised to learn that I had been listening to the classical, not jazz station, and had just listened to Claude DeBussy's "La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin" (The Girl with the Golden Locks). Americana Jazz. By a dead French classical dude.

Fred's collaborator (ghost writer) on this effort is a gentleman and music journalist named David Hajdu. Ten or fifteen years ago David Hajdu wrote a classic biography that I loved of one of the earliest "out" jazzmen - writer, pianist, arranger Billy Strayhorn. Essentially, Strayhorn gave up much of his public fame by allowing Duke Ellington to take credit for much of his creative effort; in turn Strayhorn was able to live a fairly open gay Manhattan lifestyle (especially for the time). Many of Sir Duke's most famous "compositions" are, in reality Strayhorn tunes. I highly recommend "Lush Life" to anyone interested in 20th Century music or the gay African American experience. By the way, Hajdu is also a songwriter, although I must confess I haven't listened to his work.

The phrase "Good Things Happen Slowly" is an aside that one of Hersch's doctors mentions during the dark, frightening early stages of Hersch's recovery from his near-catastrophic AIDS flareup:

'I had been in a coma for about a month and was still in the ICU when Scott asked Dr. Astiz when he expected to see some change in my status. “In a case like this,” Dr. Astiz said, looking down at me, “good things happen slowly.” Turning to face Scott, he added, “But bad things happen fast.”'

This book is written in an easy, conversational style, and is a quick read. (Unsurprisingly, though, the sections on the AIDS epidemic and Hersch's specific medical situation are so sad that it is tough and a little slow-going for this reader.)

However, the end of this book, in which his medical challenges have helped mature him and added a new sensitivity to his playing are uplifting. Hersch goes on to write several jazz-related performance pieces based on his journey back to health and musical performance:

'By the week of trio shows that led to Alive at the Vanguard, I had recovered all the technical facility I’d had before the coma while gaining quite a bit emotionally. I wrote a song about the coma and its consequences for me, centered on the comment that the ICU doctor had made to Scott at St. Vincent’s Hospital, “Good things happen slowly, but bad things happen fast.” The song, which has lyrics by David Hajdu, takes a positive turn, just as my life did, and ends with the thought that good things may happen slowly, but good things often last. David used the metaphor of floating at sea, lost in the dark, submissive to the fates: “Close the compass, fold the sail, and maybe we’ll land in a different place.” As a man and a musician, I landed in a new place after the coma, and it was a great place to be.'

Highly recommended.

[Will McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the one hand, I feel like I'm already a little biased towards liking this book because I'm a big fan of Fred Hersch's music, so naturally his autobiography will appeal to me. On the other hand, I don't exactly need to be an impartial observer to write a GoodReads review, so I'll tell you what I think of this book as an unabashed Fred Hersch fan who owns 14~ of his albums.

Fred Hersch can be a person who, by nature of who he is and what he has experienced in life, might be categorized by some for traits other than the music he creates. He is an openly gay man working in jazz music - not an especially large population of people reside in that category with him, and exponentially fewer prior to his own coming out. He is a man living with HIV - towards the end of the book, he notes that he has been on the cover of both Downbeat Magazine, the foremost magazine in jazz music, and Poz Magazine, a magazine for people living with HIV/AIDS, and remarks that he is almost certainly the only person to appear on the cover of both magazines. He also has some rather famous students among the modern jazz community - Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson, among others. Throughout this book, however, Hersch strives to make it known that he wants to be defined not by his sexuality, or his disease, or by the coma caused by pneumonia that he miraculously survived in the late 2000s (which actually had nothing to do with his HIV), or even by his status as a jazz musician, but by who he truly is as a person, which is inseparable from all of those individual influences but not governed solely by any one. Hersch tells us the story of his upbringing and family life, his musical beginnings, the self-discovery of his sexuality, and so forth, and contextualizes throughout the book to show what was going on in the different facets of his life. This is all done with humility when it came to his early-life shortcomings and personal issues, insight when it came to his work with great jazz musicians like Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, and Art Farmer, and a well-earned satisfaction utterly without arrogance when it came to mentioning his numerous achievements. Hersch has a good sense of humor that sneaks through sometimes as well, and a frankness and willingness to address his own insecurities, bias, and personal issues, while still respecting others around him. This is not one of those tell-all autobiographies that casts scandal on 70 other people by digging out old dirty laundry - the few mentions of specific problems Hersch had with specific people are thoroughly relevant to Hersch's narrative of his life and aren't given with intense animosity or pettiness.

As an autobiography and a work that combines the numerous identities of a great musician, I loved this book. The only part of it that I sort of glossed over was, ironically, the parts about actually playing the piano. I am not myself very much of a musician, and Hersch writes with great care and detail at certain points about the act of playing the piano, and I just... didn't pay as close of attention there, but for the most part, Hersch's autobiography is one that doesn't require a great deal of prior knowledge on jazz history, music theory, or anything like that to enjoy and appreciate. I think this is a great book for anyone interested in reading about the intersection of art and personal identity, as well as those interested in reading a frank perspective from a gay man who lived through the AIDS epidemic and those interested in a jazz autobiography that covers the 80s and 90s, decades that aren't covered in many other celebrated jazz autobiographies.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"I'm a very lucky man."
I have loved jazz since the late 50s so could not resist Free Hersch's memoirs. He did not disappoint, charging not only his own musical career and the influences which helped inspire him but also giving insight into what it must have been like to live through those early and terrifying years of AIDS. He writes with a subdued passion and Steven Jay Cohen gives voice to his narrative with beautifully narrated sensitivity. At the end, there is a brief contribution from Herschel himself, and it is apparent that his voice must have been similar to that of Cohen before the illness which later assailed him and, for a whi!e, took away his ability to speak.

It is a wonderfully evocative story of music and also very life affirming. My only personal regret is that a little more of Hersch's work was not included, especially in sections where he was explaining his personal deve!opments. There are, however, two musical inclusions. This is a book to be enjoyed by so many, not only those who love of have loved jazz, but all who have found themselves struggling to survive, whether because of illness or emotionally. Times and certain attitudes have changed but people stay the same.

[Michael Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

As great of an Author as a Pianist

I've got a Ticket to listen to Fred and his current Trio, Drew Gress on Bass and Jochen Rueckert on Drums, at the end of the month. I knew next to nothing about Fred when I purchased the Ticket except that he is known as a phenomenal Jazz Pianist. Which, according to this Book, is the very first layer that he hopes that people see. I did, however, see that he had just finished writing his Autobiography. And, as such, I took the opportunity to read it and find out more about who Fred is.

I've always been an avid reader. Ever since I was a child, words have relaxed me. I'm always in the middle of reading something.

Fred has a prose to his story that makes it very hard to put down. Regardless of the topic that he's choosing to write about, it kept me wanting to read more whenever I had free time.

Which is much the same way that Fred plays. You just want him to keep playing. Not only because of the way that it sounds, but because of the way that it makes you feel.

Fred plays from the heart. And, apparently, he also writes from it.

[Ric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered Fred Hersch this past June with a screening of the documentary about him at the Jacob Burns Center in Pleasantville. After the screening, Fred did a Q&A and then played a mini concert. You couldn't help but love the guy. Later saw him in a duo piano night at Bard College, which is where I bought the book (and he signed it). The book is a fascinating look at his life and the path he has taken as a gay man in the field of jazz, which wasn't always a comfortable arrangement. At any rate, his story is told very well, and it sounds like his voice, though David Hadju did have a hand in it as well. If you like jazz it's a no brainer. You don't have to know his music that deeply to be moved by the story and the obstacles he has overcome. I rate it as a 3 only because it isn't in the pantheon of truly great works of literature . . . but I enjoyed it and whole heartedly recommend it.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written autobiography that doesn't feel overly self-aggrandizing or too afraid to open up. As a gay jazz musician myself, I really needed to hear someone else's story that's a little like mine, and I'm incredibly grateful for the activism Hersch has done to pave the way for me being out in jazz right now. I also felt it was an extremely interesting reflection on creativity in general, and I loved learning about how a musician I admire practices, composes, and interacts with other people musically. I think this is a must-read for anyone interested in how the AIDS crisis, lgbtq activism, and jazz/BAM subcultures have and continue to collide and intermingle. I wish Fred Hersch the best and I will of course continue to listen to his music, now with a new appreciation for the man behind it.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but I can't help thinking it will have a limited audience. Fred and I were neighbors and friends as teenagers in Cincinnati, so the stories of his childhood on Rose Hill and his experiences at Walnut Hills High School really resonated with me. I saw him a couple times in New York while he was first establishing himself in the jazz community, so I enjoyed his stories about that time when NY was still seedy. He has had a remarkable life and I have always admired him. I'm just not sure how many readers will appreciate the jazz history he writes about with such reverence. Very proud of you, Fred. What a huge talent!

[Eloi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life, and therefore the book, of Fred Hersch was fascinating to follow from beginning to end. Personally, I relate to a lot of how Fred Hersch thinks about music and the way the book was written makes it feel like you're just talking to him about his life. It's refreshing as a LGBT jazz musician to hear his story and how his identity is just a part of him and not something he is reduced down to. I'll be going back to this book whenever I need more inspiration in my own music for the foreseeable future.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually listened to this fabulous memoir, but the audiobook is not yet up as an edition option. Hopefully it will be soon, as listening is a wonderful way to experience this book. There is SO much there: great musical talent, homosexuality, HIV/AIDS, sexual issues, the search for a partner, and a most appealing person underneath all this. Having learned Fred Hersh's life story, I can't wait now to get to know his music better.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know nothing about jazz, but wanted to read this book because of Hersch's medical story. I ended up learning more about jazz and liking that part of the book. I also enjoyed his perspective on the AIDS/HIV crisis in the early 80s and what it was like to come out as a gay jazz musician. The medical areas of the book are quite slim, but still interesting. I also enjoyed reading about the creative process behind some of his work.

All in all this is an honest and thoughtful memoir.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Sublimely simple and yet deeply resonant as any of his compostions. Hersch spares no one especially himself in this candid memoir of being and becoming a world class jazz pianist while surviving aids and a two month long coma.

His sentences are as poetic and joyous as his playing.

revelatory in many ways, no more so than as a no holds barred view of the Jazz scene from the 80's on.

Fantastic.

[Brad B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of Good Things Happen Slowly is an interesting but fairly routine recitation of "People I've Known and Places I've Been." But in the second half Hersch gets into acknowledging his sexual identity, AIDS activism, his near-death experience and recovery, and some of his more complex work, such as Leaves of Grass and Coma Dreams. That is a genuinely compelling read. Even if you are not yet a fan of Hersch's music, his story is fascinating and inspiring.

[Courtney Leblanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, mainly jazz centered which was a little boring at times for me since I’m not really part of the “jazz scene” but I did find some great new tunes to listen to after reading. Would have preferred a little more on his battle with aids.

[Alfred Yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young jazz musician, I could identify with so much. Fred Hersch is honest and relatable. It is heartbreaking to read about his struggles with illness. This will be an important book in my life as a musician.

[Tiffany Guthrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn about him and the Jazz world. However, the writing style didn't flow as easily as I would have liked. I had to push through this one.

[Jim Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating autobiography

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a life! Very inspirational memoir, especially for jazz and classical music lovers.

[TheCritterRick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disjointed memoir of a gay musician.

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

One has to know a LOT about jazz to enjoy this book.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and insightful about the man, his times, and jazz. As good as his wonderful music!

[Yooperprof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting memoir by one of my favorite contemporary jazz players, also a "noted" HIV/AIDS activist for twenty-five years.

Hersch is a remarkably upbeat (if I may say so) long-term survivor of HIV/AIDS, having first been diagnosed in the mid-1980s. He also provides an interesting perspective on the difficulties he has faced in his musical career, having to battle both internal and external homophobia - one of the very first major jazz performers to come out as gay, which he did in the early 1990s.

As part of his drug regimen, he takes more than thirty pills daily.