Aaron Diehl

About

An acclaimed pianist equally at home with straight ahead jazz and classical music, Aaron Diehl creates a sophisticated urbane soundscape that has critics like the New York Times lauding his “melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint.” Recent projects have found the pianist running the gamut from Gershwin to Philip Glass, and from Jelly Roll Morton to Mozart. 

Aaron Diehl has made an indelible mark on the jazz world over the last 15 years. While showing a rare affinity for early jazz and mid-20th century “third-stream” music, his latest evolution comes as he begins to tackle modern classical works, having performed Gershwin’s piano sonatas and “I Got Rhythm Variations” with the NY Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Amarillo Symphony in the last year and performing the piano works of Philip Glass in numerous locales, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Diehl has collaborated with living masters ranging from jazz greats Wynton Marsalis and Benny Golson to 20th century classical titan Philip Glass. He has established himself as one of the preeminent interpreters of the Great American Songbook in his working trio and as musical director and arranger for the remarkable vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant.

A graduate of Juilliard, Diehl was named the 2011 Cole Porter Fellow by American Pianists Association, in 2014 became the youngest ever Monterey Jazz Festival Commission Artist and has released two critically acclaimed albums on the Mack Avenue Records label. He was the music director for jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2014-2015 New Orleans Songbook series and in 2017 participated in Jazz in July’s “The Art of Tatum,” honoring one of his primary piano idols, Art Tatum.