Having studied at Juilliard and toured early on with trumpeter
Wynton Marsalis
, pianist/composer
Aaron Diehl
is the epitome of a sophisticated, urbane jazz musician. Following up his well-received 2013 effort,
The Bespoke Man's Narrative
,
Diehl
digs even further into impeccably appointed, straight-ahead acoustic jazz on his third full-length album, 2015's
Space Time Continuum
. Joining
here is a cadre of equally gifted sidemen including bassist
David Wong
and drummer
Quincy Davis
, as well as a handful of special guests including the masterful saxophonist
Benny Golson
and
Jazz at Lincoln Center
baritone saxophonist
Joe Temperley
. Also adding their own flavor to the proceedings are rising stars tenor saxophonist
Stephen Riley
and trumpeter
Bruce Harris
, along with vocalist
Charenee Wade
. With contemporaries like
Kris Bowers
Robert Glasper
pushing their music toward the edges of jazz, hip-hop, and electronic fusion,
's more traditional if no less accomplished approach comes off as striking and unusual in contrast. Cuts like the ruminative, impressionistic "The Steadfast Titan" and the Spanish flamenco-infused "Santa Maria" bring to mind the lyricism of
Billy Strayhorn
mixed with the measured, dreamlike qualities of classical composers like
Claude Debussy
Olivier Messiaen
. Elsewhere,
swings hard with an exuberant reading of
Walter Davis, Jr.
's "Uranus" and dives headlong into the fluid "Flux Capacitor," featuring a breathy, lithe performance from
Riley
. Certainly, the album's extended compositional moments, such as the bluesy, literate title track and the suite-like "Organic Consequence," are impressive in sheer scope. However, it's on the tracks where
's adroit, kinetic piano playing takes the spotlight, as on the
Bud Powell
-infused "Broadway Boogie Woogie," that
most threatens to break the jazz universe wide open. ~ Matt Collar