Photos: OutBeat Jazz Festival brings Fred Hersch Trio to the Philadelphia Museum of Art

On Friday evening, the Fred Hersch Trio played a stirring set at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s grand staircase for the first performance of the inaugural OutBeat Jazz Festival, the country’s first LGBT jazz festival.

Keeping the tone largely downbeat and expressive, pianist Hersh’s performance struck a commanding silence for the crowd of several hundred gathered around and up the steps. The set included an homage to pianist and composer Joe Sample, who passed away Thursday, and a Thelonious Monk cover. The festival concludes today and tonight at Union Transfer, tickets and information can be found here.