| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Helen Pinch, Performance Santa Fe Phone: (505) 984 8759 Email: hpinch@performancesantafe.org Promotional Photos Full Press Release |
Santa Fe, NM, September 26, 2022 – This winter, the Aaron Diehl Trio partners with vibraphonist Jason Marsalis for a fresh take on the music of one of the most historically significant ensembles of the 20th century— the Modern Jazz Quartet. Blurring the boundaries between genres and styles, pianist Aaron Diehl brings “melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint” (New York Times) to this unique artistic project. He is joined by Aaron Kimmel on drums, David Wong on bass, and Jason Marsalis (of the legendary Marsalis family) on vibraphone, to reinvent the sound of one of jazz music’s most beloved groups in this historically significant performance.
Founded by Albuquerque native John Aaron Lewis, the Modern Jazz Quartet holds the distinguished title of second-longest performing jazz ensemble ever, their career spanning the 1950s-1990s. Diehl’s project, a reinterpretation of the music of the ensemble, celebrates the MJQ’s groundbreaking performances that infused jazz with concert hall impeccability, and specifically highlights the composition of one of Albuquerque’s most prominent jazz luminaries: John Aaron Lewis. Lewis, who composed much of the MJQ’s repertoire, was an Albuquerque native who became a pioneer in arranging and composing music that fused the disparate styles of classical and jazz. John Lewis’ impact endures in the work of the New Mexico-based John Aaron Lewis Legacy Project, run by Lewis’ nephew Bill Houston and niece Christina Houston, and Tom Guralnick, Executive Director and founder of The Outpost. The John Aaron Lewis Legacy Society is supporting Diehl’s January performance.
In addition to the performance and giving a master class for public school students studying jazz, Diehl will host a listening party on Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s College. This event will allow participants to learn more about Diehl, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and the music Diehl and fellow musicians will be presenting at the January 19th program. This event is free and open to the public.
Aaron Diehl Trio and Jason Marsalis, vibraphone
with Aaron Kimmel, drums, and David Wong, bass
Music of the Modern Jazz Quartet
Thursday, January 19 | 7:30 p.m.
Lensic Performing Arts Center
211 W San Francisco St
Santa Fe, NM 87501
$35 – $115
To purchase tickets, visit www.performancesantafe.org or call (505) 984 8759
Presented through the generosity of the John Aaron Lewis Legacy Project
22-23 Season Sponsors: Ann Murphy and William W. Daily; Leah Gordon
Listening Party with Aaron Diehl
Wednesday, January 18 | 7:30 p.m.
St. John’s College
1160 Camino De Cruz Blanca
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Free, but reservations requested
Call the Performance Santa Fe office at 505 984 8759
About Aaron Diehl
Pianist and composer Aaron Diehl mystifies listeners with his layered artistry. At once temporal and ethereal, his expression transforms the piano into an orchestral vessel in the spirit of beloved predecessors Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner and Jelly Roll Morton. Following three critically-acclaimed leader albums on Mack Avenue Records — and live appearances at historic venues from Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Village Vanguard to New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonie de Paris — the American Pianist Association’s 2011 Cole Porter fellow now focuses his attention on what it means to be present within himself. His forthcoming solo record promises an expansion of that exploration in a setting at once unbound and intimate.
Aaron conjures three-dimensional expansion of melody, counterpoint and movement through time. Rather than choose one sound or another, he invites listeners into the chambered whole of his artistry. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Aaron traveled to New York in 2003, following his success as a finalist in JALC’s Essentially Ellington competition and a subsequent European tour with Wynton Marsalis. His love affair with rub and tension prompted a years-long immersion in distinctive repertoire from Monk and Ravel to Gershwin and William Grant Still. Among other towering figures, Still in particular inspires Aaron’s ongoing curation of Black American composers in his own performance programming, unveiled this past fall at 92nd St. Y.
Aaron has enjoyed artistic associations with Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Buster Williams, Branford Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Philip Glass and multi GRAMMY award-winning artist Cecile McLorin Salvant. He recently appeared with the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra as featured soloist.
Aaron holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Juilliard. A licensed pilot, when he’s not at the studio or on the road, he’s likely in the air. Follow both his earthbound and aerial exploits via Instagram at www.instagram.com/aaronjdiehl.
About Jason Marsalis
Jazz drummer, vibraphone player, composer, producer, band leader, and member of the Marsalis family of musicians. From a tender young age, it was clear that Jason Marsalis had what it took to be great. Jason is the son of pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis and his wife Dolores, and the youngest sibling of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. Together, the four brothers and their patriarch Ellis comprise New Orleans venerable first family of jazz.
Ellis and Delores began to cultivate Jason’s interest in music at age three, with the purchase of a toy set of drums. By age six, not only had Jason gotten his first real drum set, but he was also taking lessons from the legendary New Orleans drummer James Black. At age seven he was sitting in with his father’s jazz group, as well as playing with his trombonist brother Delfeayo. Jason was progressing so rapidly as a drummer that in 1984 his father started using him consistently on engagements. Jason was starting to become a seasoned road veteran before the age of nine, even traveling to the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston for Delfeayo’s senior recital.
Shortly after graduation from NOCCA high school in 1995, Marsalis ascended to the drum throne of a new group lead by virtuoso pianist and former sideman for Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts. Despite a demanding touring schedule with Roberts, Marsalis furthered his educational goals by attending Loyola University in New Orleans, as well as studying composition with Roger Dickerson at Southern University.
The sense of style and tastefulness that Marsalis exhibits in his playing explains why he is a highly sought-after musician. This style has been well documented on recordings with artists such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marcus Printup and Marcus Roberts to name but a few. He has also produced two albums under his own name, Year of the Drummer (1998) and Music in Motion (2000), as well as producing a reissue of his father’s earlier recorded work, Syndrome (1996). In addition, Marsalis is a respected clinician and an endorser of Fibes drums and Zildjian cymbals.
With each passing year Jason Marsalis continues to grow and develop as both a composer and performer. With a fire in his heart and a passion for the music, his will to swing has never been more resolute. The maturity of this young lion and the command he possesses over his instrument is clearly evident to those who have heard or seen him.
About Aaron Kimmel
Aaron Kimmel is a native of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Kenny Washington and Billy Drummond, and he is now a freelance drummer living in New York City. He frequently appears at Smalls and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, performing as a sideman with the Benny Green trio, Aaron Diehl, among others. He has also played with such jazz luminaries as Harry Allen, Ken Peplowski, Eric Alexander, Joe Magnarelli, Grant Stewart, Terell Stafford, Ryan Kisor, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Brian Lynch, Ann Hampton Callaway, Mary Stallings and Jon Faddis.
About David Wong
Bassist David Wong was born and raised in New York City. In 2004, he graduated from the Juilliard School in classical music. He has studied with Orin O’Brien (New York Philharmonic), and Ron Carter. He is currently a member of Roy Haynes’ “Fountain of Youth” band, the Charles Mcpherson Quintet and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. He was also the last bass player in the Heath Brother’s Quartet led by Jimmy Heath and Albert “Tootie” Heath as well as Hank Jones’ “Great Jazz Trio” and is featured on the piano master’s last recording. David is on faculty at Temple University, Purchase College, The New School, and The City College of New York.
About John Aaron Lewis
Born in La Grange, Illinois, Lewis was raised by his grandmother Edith English in Albuquerque, just blocks from the South Broadway Cultural Center (SBCC) which houses the theatre named in his honor. At an early age, Lewis played piano and violin, later studied classical and jazz. His horizons were broadened by playing in a family band, the church choir and a Boy Scout music group. After graduating from Albuquerque High School, he studied anthropology and music at the University of New Mexico (UNM), eventually obtaining a master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City following army service alongside future Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) collaborator Kenny Clarke.
Lewis became a pioneer in arranging and composing music that fused the disparate styles of classical and jazz. He recorded with leading artists and ensembles, founded the MJQ whose performances refined and infused jazz with concert hall impeccability, and served as the director and musical consultant of the Monterrey Jazz Festival for 35 years. Throughout his career, Lewis shared his passion for music by teaching at several universities and colleges and, in 1980 received an Honorary Doctorate from UNM. John died March 29, 2001 in New York City at the age 80.
Each year the Albuquerque Museum Foundation selects a Notable New Mexican to be honored for their achievements, strong ties to New Mexico and contributions to the public good. In 2006, Mr. Lewis received this honor and was recognized on KNME, the local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate, http://www.newmexicopbs.org.
About the Modern Jazz Quartet
Comprising vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist-composer John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay, the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) epitomizes the style that came to be known as “cool jazz.” Although grounded in the fiery bebop style of the late 1940s, its repertory is characterized by elegant ensemble precision, a restrained emotional atmosphere (aided by the relatively cool timbres of the vibraharp and piano), and a self-conscious attempt to bring compositional techniques derived from European art music into a working relationship with jazz improvisation.
Jackson and Lewis were originally members of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band and occasionally performed as a quartet in the late 1940s with Kenny Clarke on drums and Ray Brown on bass. The Modern Jazz Quartet proper made its recording debut in 1952 for the Prestige label. Wearing tuxedos on stage, members of the MJQ brought jazz to audiences accustomed to European chamber music. Such early Lewis compositions as “Vendome” (1952) and “Concorde” (1955) attracted attention for their use of fugal textures, while later projects such as The Comedy (1962) made more ambitious use of a modern compositional idiom derived in part from contemporary European “classical” music and were associated with the Third Stream movement.
The music of the MJQ has nevertheless remained firmly rooted in African-American culture, through the soulful improvising of Jackson and a continuous exploration of the blues—for example, the album Blues at Carnegie Hall (1966). In 1974 the group disbanded, only to reform several times for tours and recordings in the subsequent decades.
About the John Aaron Lewis Legacy Project
The forerunner of the Project began in 2001 when several local jazz enthusiasts— spearheaded by Jazz Inn Bed & Breakfast owners Sophia Polakowski and Nick Perón— partnered with Albuquerque City Councilor Steve Gallegos to officially name the SBCC auditorium the John Lewis Theatre. As the 2001 New Mexico Jazz Workshop director Ed Ulman said at the time, “Most of Albuquerque does not know John Lewis. We need to change that. John Lewis was a pioneer who believed that jazz is the American equal of classical music.”
Since 2016, the City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department, SBCC, the Outpost Performance Space, the New Mexico Jazz Festival (NMJF), and UNM’s Jazz Studies Program – in conjunction with the Lewis’ New York and New Mexico families – have collaborated to present world-renowned artists in various venues in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. JALLP also conducts youth educational workshops. The annual celebration will continue to be produced each July in conjunction with the NMJF. Current and upcoming work includes expanding educational activities, creating an archive of Lewis’ materials, and dedicating a permanent landmark dedicated to John A. Lewis. Learn more at http://johnlewispiano.org/.
About Performance Santa Fe
Performance Santa has been bringing the very best of music, dance, and theater to iconic Santa Fe locations since 1937. Now in its 86th season, organization upholds excellence in the performing arts and brings joy and enrichment to the community. Alongside its extensive performance season, the organization runs three dynamic, exciting, and inclusive educational programs for students in the community— Arts for Life, the Masterclass Series, and the Field Trip Series. PSF’s 2022-2023 season brings 26 performances to Santa Fe and celebrates the diverse possibilities of artistic expression. Learn more at www.PerformanceSantaFe.org. Performance Santa Fe is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
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