The New York Times“on the trio’s quietly stunning third album, a series of extended and reimagined covers that pull you in with a tractor-beam intensity, Sorey’s love of Morton Feldman’s radical sparseness is just as evident as his appreciation for the classic piano-bass-drums format, which has rarely felt so patient or enveloping.”
The Guardian“…standard-song jazz interpretations by Sorey’s trio don’t sound like anybody else’s…One of the year’s special sets, Continuing simmers with reinventions of old magic.”
That Gene Seymour (blog)“In a year dominated by outstanding piano trio albums, this ensemble led by the Pulitzer Prize-winning percussionist-composer-educator still sets the pace for other such combos with an austere, simple-but-spacious approach to the format. Sorey steers pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan with a supple touch that takes them, and us, longer and deeper, the way a submarine helmsman guides his massive ship around the hemisphere and back.”
The Bandcamp Daily“Tyshawn Sorey treats the Great American Songbook as an evolving entity, emphasizing the importance of capturing the spirit of a music and its people as much as documenting the specific notes and lyrics.”
Tyshawn Sorey, Drums
Aaron Diehl, Piano
Harish Raghavan, Double Bass
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey is joined by GRAMMY-nominated pianist Aaron Diehl and revered bassist Harish Raghavan in a Trio that has been described as “stunning” by the New York Times. Formed in 2021, the Trio has released 3 critically acclaimed albums – Mesmerism (2023), Continuing (2023), and The Susceptible Now (2024). The Tyshawn Sorey Trio artfully flows through a range of musical styles and moods performing original compositions to reimagined versions of the American Songbook. The Trio honed their approach during a 2023 run at the Village Vanguard and continues to tour in the US and Europe with performances in London, at the 92nd St Y in New York, and at the Big Ears Festival. An evening with the Trio offers listeners a sophisticated musical experience full of risk taking, elegance, and charm.
2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey is acclaimed for his mastery of composition and improvisation, as well as his virtuosity in performing complex scores. A 2017 MacArthur Fellow and 2018 United States Artists Fellow, Sorey has collaborated with artists like John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Vijay Iyer, and Claire Chase. His composition Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize. Sorey was also named a Rising Star Producer in Downbeat’s 2023 Critics Poll.
Sorey’s works have been performed by ensembles such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, JACK Quartet, and Alarm Will Sound, at venues including Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Lucerne Festival.
He is a member University of Pennsylvania’s composition faculty and was a Peabody Resident at Johns Hopkins University for Fall 2023. Sorey has also taught at Columbia, Harvard, The New England Conservatory, University of Michigan, The Banff Centre, and Berklee College of Music.
In the future, Sorey plans to continue pushing boundaries, extending cultural norms, and reformulating public perceptions of modern Black/Afrodiasporic creative practice through the breadth and depth of his works. His compositions are published by Edition Peters.
Pianist Aaron Diehl has quietly re-defined the lines between jazz and classical, and built a global career around his nuanced, understated approach to music-making. Praised for his “melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint” (The New York Times), Diehl has performed with musical giants such as Wynton Marsalis, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Tyshawn Sorey, and Philip Glass, and has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra, working with conductors like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marin Alsop, and Alan Gilbert. In 2023, Diehl was named Artistic Director of 92NY’s Jazz in July Festival, succeeding the legendary Bill Charlap.
With an expansive, orchestral, lyrical approach to the piano that channels predecessors like Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum and Jelly Roll Morton, Diehl has headlined the Monterey, Detroit, and Newport Jazz Festivals, and had residencies at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Village Vanguard, SF Jazz, and many more. He counts among his mentors towering figures such as John Lewis, Kenny Barron, Fred Hersch, Marcus Roberts, and Eric Reed.
For more than a decade, bassist Harish Raghavan has helped lay the foundation for a thriving generation of artists. The Thelonious Monk Competition semifinalist garners acclaim as a sound architect for myriad original projects, from Ambrose Akinmusire’s to Eric Harland’s. Other longtime collaborators include Logan Richardson, Vijay Iyer, Gerald Clayton, Taylor Eigsti and Walter Smith III. Born in Chicago, the New York-based artist transitioned from Mridanga to bass at age 16. His appetite for mingling lineages has allowed him to craft an inclusive, deeply personal artistry. Raghavan’s debut album Calls for Action (Whirlwind Recordings) reflects his development as a composer and band leader. Fifteen original tracks serve as a cohesive narrative for the album, as well as standalone suites on either side of its vinyl release. Raghavan received his BA in Music from USC — where he studied under John Clayton and Dave Carpenter, and later with Robert Hurst — and has become a highly sought educator. Teaching credits include Stanford Jazz Workshop, The New School, Siena Jazz Workshop, Banff and Centrum Jazz Workshop. He also appears regularly on the international festival circuit.
