Aaron Diehl Trio Finds Focus and Flow at Miner Auditorium
Seven Roland Hanna preludes, a Tartine aside, and a closing dedication grounded a set marked by patience, clarity, and control.
Aaron Diehl Trio at Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ Center, April 26, 2026. Left to right: Aaron Diehl, David Wong, Aaron Kimmel. Photo: Steve Roby
Aaron Diehl had already defined the room before he touched the piano. In our pre-show interview, he described Miner Auditorium as a space that holds both scale and intimacy, a hall where detail carries without strain. By the end of the night, that description had become a working premise. The trio played directly into it, using the room as an extension of their musical thinking.
They opened with “Orion,” a recent composition by Diehl inspired by the Artemis II mission. The piece moved with measured intent, its phrasing unhurried and internally coherent. It led into “Horizons” by Charles MacPherson, a logical transition given bassist David Wong’s ties to MacPherson’s band. The pairing set the tone early: forward motion without excess display.
Aaron Diehl at the Steinway. The score visible on the music desk marks one of the evening's seven Sir Roland Hanna preludes. Photo: Steve Roby
“Stardust,” by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish, unfolded at what Diehl, quoting from Cyrus Chestnut, called a “cheeseburger tempo.” The reference drew a laugh, but the execution carried weight. At that measured pace, each phrase was fully stated and resolved. The trio treated time as material — stretching and shaping it so harmonic movement registered with clarity. The result was disciplined pacing that sustained attention.
“Meditation on Contentment” extended that approach, sustaining a centered, reflective tone. Then Diehl shifted the atmosphere with a story rooted in the city itself. He described waking at six in the morning to stand in line at Tartine Bakery, a ritual now replaced by Grubhub delivery and careful rationing. “I have six morning buns in the back,” he told the audience, “but I’m taking them home to freeze. I’m gonna ration them.” The anecdote introduced “Morning Run for a Morning Bun,” written hours earlier. The piece had a light, conversational tone, yet its structure held firm. The trio balanced spontaneity with control.
The core of the program came with seven preludes by Sir Roland Hanna. Diehl presented them with attention to form and detail, noting key and title details while situating Hanna’s work within his tenure in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra lineage. The adaptations for trio format revealed the architecture of the pieces: concise statements, distinct harmonic identities, and sharply defined emotional contours. Each prelude functioned as a contained study, and together they formed a sequence that rewarded sustained listening. The hall’s clarity exposed every decision, and the trio responded with exactness.
Throughout the set, bassist Wong and drummer Aaron Kimmel played with acute awareness. Wong’s lines carried warmth and direction, anchoring the harmonic field without overstatement. Kimmel shaped the pulse rather than merely marking it, giving the music elasticity without losing focus.
Aaron Kimmel, Aaron Diehl, and David Wong take their bows at Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ Center, April 26, 2026. Photo: Steve Roby
The closing piece, “Stella’s Groove,” returned the focus to Diehl’s personal voice. Written for his mother, Estelle, it came with an introduction that matched its warmth. “She always asks me — is it live?” he said. “If it’s a live stream, can I get a free password? She’s the greatest, and she will tell the truth about the music.” The room was fully with him. The performance that followed was joyful and direct, landing with a sense of earned completion.
Before the concert, Diehl spoke of aiming for peace, comfort, and serenity. Those qualities emerged through method. The trio worked with time, space, and restraint, allowing the music to settle into the room and the listener — and by the end of the night, into something that felt, as Diehl put it, simply allowed.
Program Notes
April 26, 2026 · Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ Center · Aaron Diehl Trio — Aaron Diehl (piano), David Wong (bass), Aaron Kimmel (drums)
Setlist: “Orion,” “Horizons,” “Stardust,” “Meditation on Contentment,” “Morning Run for a Morning Bun,” Roland Hanna Preludes (No. 1 in B♭ major; No. 2 in G major “Blue, Green, Brown and Black”; No. 3 in B minor; No. 4 in C minor “Munich”; No. 5 in D minor; No. 6 in D major “Round Robin”; No. 7 in A minor “El Toro and the Geisha”), “Stella’s Groove”
