By Frank Alkyer | Published December 2014
Fred Hersch’s brilliant multimedia pieceMy Coma Dreams lays out the long, troubling tale of the jazz pianist with HIV/AIDS being placed into a medically induced coma for two months as doctors tried to figure out what had sent him into septic shock. Now available on DVD (after being filmed live at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre in March 2013), the piece incorporates music, spoken word and computer graphics into a fantastically interesting 90-minute work that’s billed as “jazz theater.” My Coma Dreams feels more like Broadway than jazz, but that’s not a bad thing. It has beautiful musical moments and narrative passages that will make you laugh, think and maybe even cry a little. The piece was conceived, written and directed by Herschel Garfein based on eight dreams Hersch remembered after he was slowly brought out of the coma at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York. The very talented Michael Winther plays the roles of both Hersch and Hersch’s life partner, Scott Morgan. Hersch’s character details what was happening in the dreams, which included everything from being strapped down in a panel van to competing with Thelonious Monk in a contest to determine who could compose a song faster. A section about a “Jazz Diner” out in the woods is hysterical. Another, called “The Boy,” is touching and insightful. While Hersch speaks of dreams, Morgan’s character deals with reality—how comas are very different from how they are portrayed in TV and film, how Hersch lost 30 pounds just lying there, how difficult it was to bring him out of the coma, and the pain of wondering whether he would survive the ordeal. The narrative here is smart, honest and true. And the music is superb. Hersch plays piano here, and he assembled an 11-piece ensemble that includes bassist John Hébert and drummer John Hollenbeck, plus a four-piece horn section and a string quartet. It’s interesting and uplifting to watch Hersch, the central character in the piece, serve as the “house” pianist for the group. There’s a crucial moment where he stands to mimic himself in rehab; it’s the only time Hersch breaks from his role as pianist, and it has a powerful effect. This is not an easy piece to watch, but it’s rewarding. I’m glad Hersch lived to tell of his dreams. (It reminds me of all the friends who didn’t live to talk about their own battles with AIDS.) This is a brave work of art that deserves to be seen and heard.
