Aaron Diehl & The Knights

Zodiac Suite

Nominated For:
BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM

Press

The New York Times
"he’s joined not by the Philharmonic, but by the adventurous chamber orchestra the Knights, which is staffed by some of the brightest younger players on the classical scene. And they’ve clearly invested time in all 12 parts of Williams’s suite."

The Wall Street Journal
"an excellent, overdue studio recording by the contemporary pianist and orchestra."

The Guardian
"Zodiac Suite is revealed as a joyous, enchanting creation."

Tracking Angle
"Aaron Diehl & the Knights’Zodiac Suite may be the most important album of the year"
The Boston Globe
“an exuberant multi-hued astrological excursion combining elements of jazz and classical that deserves to be considered with the extended works of Ellington, Mingus, and George Russell.”

The Boston Globe
“Thanks to Diehl (himself a formidable pianist and composer) and orchestral collective the Knights, we finally get Williams’s chamber orchestra version in all its glory”

About

Critically acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Diehl's passion for the work of Mary Lou Williams is realized with the release of Zodiac Suite -- the first fully-fledged professional recording of this incredible arrangement. Composed, arranged and orchestrated by Williams, this recording gives insight into her greater ambitions for the work, despite setbacks she faced during its premiere in 1945. Diehl and the Knights, with Eric Jacobsen, showcase the composer’s imagination and vision in a suite dedicated to some of her closest friends and collaborators.