{"id":12217,"date":"2023-09-15T15:13:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T19:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/?p=12217"},"modified":"2023-09-19T15:24:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T19:24:17","slug":"aaron-diehl-the-knights-release-zodiac-suite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/aaron-diehl-the-knights-release-zodiac-suite\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Diehl & The Knights Release ‘Zodiac Suite’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Critically acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Diehl’s passion for the work of Mary Lou Williams is realized with the release of Zodiac Suite \u2014 the first fully-fledged professional recording of this incredible arrangement. Composed, arranged and orchestrated by Williams, this recording gives insight into her greater ambitions for the work, despite setbacks she faced during its premiere in 1945. Diehl and the Knights, with Eric Jacobsen, showcase the composer\u2019s imagination and vision in a suite dedicated to some of her closest friends and collaborators. Out now on Mack Avenue Records<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Listen here<\/a><\/p>\n

Full Album Playlist on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n

CRITICAL ACCLAIM<\/strong>
\n“A similar interventionist spirit was required when producing a new take of Williams\u2019s \u201cZodiac Suite.\u201d With its 12 movements \u2014 one for each astrological sign \u2014 the composer created affectionate portraits of admired artists and friends. While that composition has long been popular in its jazz-trio form, Williams was eager to adapt it for both chamber orchestra and a full orchestra. A document exists of the chamber version, capturing a live 1945 performance at Town Hall in New York, though that take\u2019s lack of proper rehearsal time is audible in the final, muddled result.<\/p>\n

So her chamber version was also in need of a contemporary champion. It has found one in Aaron Diehl \u2014 a pianist widely admired in both jazz and classical circles.<\/p>\n

During the lockdown portion of the pandemic, he was joined by the New York Philharmonic as he played excerpts from the chamber \u201cZodiac\u201d for the orchestra\u2019s streaming channel. Yet on the new Mack Avenue recording, he\u2019s joined not by the Philharmonic, but by the adventurous chamber orchestra the Knights, which is staffed by some of the brightest younger players on the classical scene. And they\u2019ve clearly invested time in all 12 parts of Williams\u2019s suite.<\/p>\n

The Knights as a whole balance lightness of touch with a forward sense of swing in the opening \u201cAries,\u201d and in the regal flourishes that Williams deployed in movements like \u201cTaurus\u201d and \u201cLeo.\u201d Strings in particular seem to revel in the bluesy sliding tones of \u201cCancer,\u201d which also includes the guest tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover\u2019s elegant soloing (in a spot originally conceived by Williams for Ben Webster).<\/p>\n

The Knights flutist Alex Sopp emerges as a key figure as the suite progresses \u2014 including when she soars dreamily atop the rhythmic patterns of \u201cScorpio\u201d for significant, exposed stretches. Diehl, the bassist David Wong and the drummer Aaron Kimmel are a consistent delight \u2014 as when providing authoritative piano-trio swing during \u201cVirgo.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview, Diehl lavished praise on the chamber orchestra. \u201cIt\u2019s hard enough \u2014 even in a small jazz ensemble, five or six people \u2014 to agree on the eighth-note triplet,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you have multiples of that \u2014 25 or 30 people \u2014 that always makes it more difficult. It\u2019s always about negotiating how you\u2019re going to play, how you\u2019re going to phrase.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diehl credited the Knights\u2019 artistic director and conductor, Eric Jacobsen, for his ability to \u201ctranslate\u201d the jazz-ensemble aspects of the \u201cZodiac Suite\u201d to his full chamber orchestra.”
\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

“Zodiac Suite is revealed as a joyous, enchanting creation. Each sign, with musician friends attached \u2013 Thelonious Monk for Libra, for example \u2013 marries orchestral motifs with jazz tropes. Scorpio mixes growling chords with sinuous clarinet and martial horns. Gemini (Mary Lou\u2019s sign) combines rapid-fire orchestral chords with boogie woogie. The more leisurely Cancer has a tour-de-force tenor sax solo by guest star Nicole Glover. The moods crammed into each sign\u2019s three minutes are a wonder, the playing \u2013 and on Pisces operatic singing \u2013 inspired. A triumph.”
\nThe Guardian<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Critically acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Diehl’s passion for the work of Mary Lou Williams is realized with the release of Zodiac Suite \u2014 the first fully-fledged professional recording of this incredible arrangement. Composed, arranged and orchestrated by Williams, this recording gives insight into her greater ambitions for the work, despite setbacks she faced during … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5070,7010,3613,3824,3656,7268,3686,3610,5936,7267],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12217"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12217"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12219,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12217\/revisions\/12219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/12218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}