Aaron Diehl - The Vagabond

The best way to describe Aaron Diehl's trio recording, 'The Vagabond', is that it is a quiet masterpiece. While this is thoroughly a jazz recording rooted in precedents set by Diehl's forbearers such as Art Tatum, Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal, Roland Hanna and John Lewis; it will come as no surprise to fans of Aaron's previous two Mack Avenue recordings that clear references are made to his background and simultaneous career as a Classical music performer.

This recording takes its title from Diehl composition The Vagabond, a work which, like the album on which it appears, centres around a strong melodic core that does not depend on a breakneck tempos for showcasing its technical wizardry; always in service of the music rather than as a feature unto itself.

As always with Aaron Diehl, the music on 'The Vagabond' is elegant with a profound and expansive pianism that doesn't announce itself but is nevertheless revealed in the music it serves.

Aaron Diehl, a rising star of jazz piano, has an individual talent so huge that one day he may extend the jazz tradition. I've witnessed Diehl's prodigious talent in various settings. Believe me, if stardom was his aim, it would be like plucking an apple from a tree. - NY Daily News

Personnel: Aaron Diehl (piano), Paul Sikivie (double bass), Gregory Hutchinson (drums)