Aaron Diehl’s elegant pianism and musical sophistication
take center stage once again on his third album for Mack Avenue Records, The
Vagabond. His previous outings for the label—The Bespoke Man’s Narrative
(2013), which reached No. 1 on the JazzWeek Jazz Chart; and Space, Time,
Continuum (2015) featuring jazz masters Benny Golson and Joe Temperley—have
already established him as one of the jazz world’s most vibrant stylists.
The Vagabond, featuring Paul Sikivie on double bass, and
Gregory Hutchinson on drums, includes original tunes by Diehl, as well as music
by past jazz greats, John Lewis and Sir Roland Hanna, along with Russian
composer Sergei Prokofiev and American composer Philip Glass. That range of
repertoire suggests a sort of musical double life, a state of affairs that
helped give rise to the album’s title.
“I have always been fascinated in the piano’s range of tone
and color,” says Diehl. “This is partly rooted in my earlier interest in
classical piano literature. Regardless of genre, I try to maintain an awareness
of sound and nuance. Having opportunities to work with Philip Glass or perform
George Gershwin’s ‘Concert in F’ with the New York Philharmonic has encouraged
me to broaden my approach to pianism. They have placed me in situations completely
out of my comfort zone.”
As a 2007 graduate of the Juilliard School, he had studied
with Russian virtuoso Oxana Yablonskaya. “She always reminds me about my
tearing up when she played during our lessons,” he remembers, “with such a
deep, rich sound. She knew that I had a sensitivity to certain musical
qualities. I’d often think, ‘Wow, I wish I could do that.’”
As it turns out, he could. Yet, his focus at the time was
necessarily on jazz performance, studying with Kenny Barron and Eric Reed
(Diehl also worked closely with Fred Hersch in recent years). The invitation to
interpret music by Glass, like the opportunity to perform with the
Philharmonic—which was facilitated through its music director at the time, Alan
Gilbert—came as a pleasant opportunity…and a real challenge. It has all paid
off.
“It’s hard to imagine that Gershwin would not have been
impressed,” wrote The New York Times of Diehl’s Gershwin performance. “The
audience was: it gave Mr. Diehl an enthusiastic ovation.” And his rendering of
Glass’s Etudes has been equally celebrated. “Diehl’s rendition of Etude No. 3…
hit a delightful rhythmic groove and showed wonderful balance of the hands and
voicing,” reported the Washington Classical Review. “Glass’s music often
demands a sort of affectless sheen, which Diehl caught perfectly in Etude No.
4.”
“With Glass, I’m still finding how to maintain the integrity
of that sound world, and also incorporate my own ideas into his language,” says
the pianist. “On the other hand, as a musician also interested in incorporating
African-American musical traditions, I’m discovering various approaches to
playing as a soloist with orchestras in that context,” says Diehl, summing up
the situation, “It’s a bit of an itinerant existence.” Hence, the album title, The
Vagabond.
Yet, his roots run deep. He was the winner of the 2011 Cole
Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association; the 2013 recipient of
the Jazz Journalists Association Award for Up-And-Coming Artist; and the 2014
Monterey Jazz Festival Commission Artist, one of the youngest musicians to
receive this honor, for which he composed “Three Streams of Expression,”
dedicated to pianist and composer John Lewis. Earlier, in 2002, Diehl was
awarded Outstanding Soloist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington
Competition, after which he was invited to tour Europe with the Wynton Marsalis
Septet. More recently, Diehl served as the long-time musical director for
GRAMMY® Award-winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant.
The individual tracks on The Vagabond reflect the influences
and ideas that have shaped Diehl’s sound world, along with the musicians
comprising his trio. They enjoyed the rare opportunity to tour together for
several weeks before going into the studio. The repertoire is far reaching,
touching on multiple aspects of the pianist’s life experience. For example, Sir
Roland Hanna’s “A Story Often Told, Seldom Heard” represents the work of a
musician who was classically trained, and, says Diehl, “had a similar approach
to what I cherish.”
His own compositions include “Polaris,” “Lamia,”
“Magnanimous Disguise,” “Park Slope,” “The Vagabond,” “Kaleidoscope Road,” and
“Treasure’s Past.” They are joined by a host of standards from across the
musical spectrum: “March from Ten Pieces for Piano, Op. 12” written by Russian
great Sergei Prokofiev; “A Story Often Told, Seldom Heard” by Sir Roland Hanna;
“Milano” by John Lewis, who led the Modern Jazz Quartet; and “Piano Etude No.
16” by Philip Glass.
Upcoming Aaron Diehl U.S. Performances:
January 18 - 19 | Cincinnati Music Hall | Cincinnati, OH
January 23 | Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts
Center | Alexandria, VA
January 24 - 25 | Mezzrow Jazz Club | New York, NY
January 31 | 560 Music Center | St. Louis, MO
February 6 | Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre | Ann Arbor, MI
February 7 | Jordan Hall | Boston, MA
February 8 | The Bushnell | Hartford, CT
February 20 - 21 | Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
| Chicago, IL
February 23 | The Phillips Collection | Washington, DC
March 6 | Acadiana Center for the Arts | Lafayette, LA
March 10 | Thomasville Center for the Arts | Thomasville, GA
March 11 | Curtis M. Phillips Center for Performing Arts |
Gainesville, FL
March 21 | Bob Carr Theater | Orlando, FL
April 18 | Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts | Katonah,
NY
May 1 | Van Singel Fine Arts Center | Byron Center, MI
May 7 | La Jolla Music Society | San Diego, CA
May 15 | Severance Hall | Cleveland, OH
May 24 | The Hochstein School | Rochester, NY
Aaron Diehl · The Vagabond
Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: February 14, 2020
