The Aaron Diehl Trio will perform at Hope College on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the John and Dede Howard Recital Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
Jazz pianist Aaron Diehl, just 29 years old, has caught the attention of the jazz world with his innovative ensembles and recordings.
All About Jazz has praised his technical skills, and has noted that while Diehl is “firmly planted in the present, there’s a timeless quality to the music, hearkening to the panache of pianist Duke Ellington.”
His most recent recording, “Space Time Continuum,” has earned praise from a variety of critics. The New York Times has said that “Mr. Diehl’s superior new album… upholds a traditional framework while crisply demolishing the usual notions of conservatism. It’s a jubilant, swinging outing.”
“The Bespoke Man’s Narrative” (2013), Diehl’s debut album, reached No.1 on the JazzWeek Jazz Chart and was hailed by JazzTimes for displaying “precision and polish.” Radio station KCRW also praised the album, stating, “This is an album you can listen to again and again, honest music that invites you back in to discover new wonders with each listening.”
In 2013 Ebony Magazine named him one of “seven young players to watch.”
Diehl is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Kenny Barron, Eric Reed, and Oxana Yablonskaya. When not performing, the licensed pilot is usually found in the sky.
Tickets for Diehl’s concert are $10 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, and $5 for children. Hope College students may receive free tickets by showing their college ID.
Tickets are available at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890. Tickets are also available online at hope.edu/tickets.
The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.