Aaron Diehl

The Vagabond Aaron Diehl

The best way to describe Aaron Diehl's new 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 Diehl's previous two Mack Avenue recordings that clear references are made to his background and simultaneous career as a classical music performer. The Vagabond also features Diehl's interpretation of works "March from Ten Pieces for Piano, Op. 12" written by Russian great Sergei Prokofiev and "Piano Etude No. 16" by Philip Glass.

This recording takes its title from Diehl composition "The Vagabond," a work which centers around a strong melodic core that does not depend on 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.