NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe speaks with jazz musician Aaron Diehl about his rendition of “The Zodiac Suite,” an album initially composed by Mary Lou Williams within the Nineteen Forties.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “LIBRA”)
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Are you aware the zodiac indicators of your pals? The late Black jazz legend Mary Lou Williams did. Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane – they have been all Libras, so Mary Lou wrote a track for them and known as it “Libra.” She wrote 12 songs, in reality, every named after one of many zodiac indicators and most of them devoted to a buddy or group of mates. It is known as the “Zodiac Suite.”
AARON DIEHL: To be trustworthy, she even admitted herself that she was no fervent astrologist. She actually used the “Zodiac Suite” and the astrological indicators form of as a automobile to dedicate music to a few of her closest mates and colleagues.
RASCOE: Aaron Diehl is one other celebrated Black jazz musician, a pianist like Williams, and now very a lot in his prime. He just lately launched a rendition of the “Zodiac Suite,” a nominee for a 2024 Grammy Award.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “LIBRA”)
DIEHL: It was an try and seize the essence of her unique intentions when she scored this association and provides a chance for listeners to listen to the primary full recording of this orchestral association of “Zodiac Suite.”
RASCOE: Aaron Diehl says Mary Lou Williams did not end the orchestral preparations for the suite. She labored on it for 3 years and obtained burned out from that and her different commitments. So he determined to choose up the challenge the place she left off and convey it to completion. Aaron Diehl says an encounter at Juilliard, the place he studied, impressed his curiosity in Mary Lou Williams.
DIEHL: I had the privilege of assembly a gentleman by the identify of Father Peter O’Brien, who was Mary Lou Williams’ supervisor for the final 20 years or so of her life. And he was each a Jesuit priest and a jazz supervisor, for those who can sq. these two.
RASCOE: That is fairly a mixture.
DIEHL: Yeah, proper? And he got here to form of advise this system on a Mary Lou Williams live performance that they did again in, I wish to say, round 2004 or so. Just a few years later, I began enjoying at a predominantly Black Catholic church in Harlem. Father O’Brien got here on Sunday and acknowledged me, and in order that was actually the start of our partnership.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “SAGITTARIUS”)
RASCOE: So the unique “Zodiac Suite” – it stands out as a result of right here was this jazz pianist and composer venturing into classical music, and that was an enormous deal on the time. Are you able to discuss why that combination, that bringing collectively, was one thing that stood out?
DIEHL: Properly, I feel it is necessary to notice that Williams – she insisted on by no means moving into the cracks of form of the hackneyed tropes across the expectations primarily based on gender or race. She simply wished to be an incredible musician. And he or she was continuously pushing herself, pushing the boundaries for herself as a musician.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “SAGITTARIUS”)
DIEHL: She was very a lot into Paul Hindemith and Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg. Twentieth century composers actually fascinated her, and she or he wished to seek out methods of – via the language that she had already constructed the muse – to include the music of a few of these twentieth century European composers into her language.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “LEO”)
RASCOE: It is very lovely, and there are the horns and the strings. Like, you realize, most of the songs on the unique “Zodiac Suite” have been improvised. Like, did you improvise lots additionally? And what have been you pondering of?
DIEHL: This explicit association that I recorded, most of it is rather a lot written out. I imply, once you’re coping with, you realize, 20, 30 musicians, you realize, there must be some form of roadmap, if you’ll. And so all of that is very a lot orchestrated, however there are particular cases the place it does name for improvisation. “Virgo” is a good instance of that. That’s actually the one, as we are saying, swinging motion in the whole suite.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “VIRGO”)
DIEHL: These are all improvised solos throughout the construction of the piece itself.
RASCOE: Properly, we even have a bit of “Virgo” from Mary Lou Williams’ jazz trio model.
(SOUNDBITE OF MARY LOU WILLIAMS’ “VIRGO”)
RASCOE: Like, how would you examine and distinction these two variations?
DIEHL: What I might say is, for those who hear – for those who’re in a position to hear to some instances to the each of them, you will hear a sure form of consistency with the construction, with the shape. And so I am drawing from, primarily, the identical language in – after I’m enjoying that Williams can be drawing from in her recording from the ’40s.
RASCOE: It is – finally, what do you hope your challenge provides to the historical past and custom of the “Zodiac Suite”?
DIEHL: Properly, I feel my final purpose is, hopefully, to create extra consciousness for who Mary Lou Williams was and her significance. I simply hope folks acquire some form of curiosity in what she devoted her life in direction of, which was music. I imply, she lived and breathed music. She lived via all the eras of what we name jazz continuously modernizing herself, adapting herself. She was a titan artist and musician, and I hope that individuals give her her credit score and due.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “CANCER”)
RASCOE: That is musician Aaron Diehl speaking about his new album with The Knights, the “Zodiac Suite.” Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
DIEHL: Ayesha, it has been a pleasure. Thanks a lot.
(SOUNDBITE OF AARON DIEHL AND THE KNIGHTS’ “CANCER”)
Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This textual content might not be in its last type and could also be up to date or revised sooner or later. Accuracy and availability could range. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.
