Sullivan Fortner
Born (1986-12-29) December 29, 1986
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active2000s–present
Websitesullivanfortnermusic.com

Sullivan Joseph Fortner (born December 29, 1986) is an American jazz pianist. He was the regular pianist in trumpeter Roy Hargrove's band from 2010 to 2017, and has released two albums on Impulse! Records.

Early life

Fortner was born and grew up in New Orleans.[1][2] He started playing the piano from the age of four.[1] He was inspired to play by seeing a woman playing the organ in a local church.[2] His mother was the choir director of a Baptist church; he began playing the organ there at the age of seven.[3] For a time, he relied on his perfect pitch to learn and play music; this had to change when he successfully auditioned for the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.[3] Fortner went on to obtain a bachelor's degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music.[2][4]

Later life and career

In 2009, Fortner was part of vibraphonist Stefon Harris' band,[5] including for a tour of Europe.[3] Fortner was pianist in trumpeter Roy Hargrove's quintet from 2010 to 2017.[3][6] Fortner became strongly influenced by fellow pianist Barry Harris from 2011, when he realised that his knowledge of the music was too shallow.[3] Fortner recorded with the Hargrove band's saxophonist, Justin Robinson, in 2013.[7] In 2015, Fortner was the winner of the American Pianists Association Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz, a prize that consists of "$50,000, the opportunity to record for Mack Avenue Records, and two years of professional career services and development".[8]

In early 2015, Fortner's quartet contained saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, bassist Ameen Saleem and drummer Jeremy "Bean" Clemons.[6] Fortner's first release as leader was Aria from Impulse! Records, and received a four-star review from DownBeat magazine.[9] The next, Moments Preserved, was mainly a trio album, with Saleem and Clemons, but Hargrove also played on three of the tracks.[3] Fortner played on some of the tracks that formed Paul Simon's album In the Blue Light.[3][10]

Awards and honors

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates the year the album was released.

As leader

Year recorded Title Label Personnel
2015* Aria Impulse! Quartet, with Tivon Pennicott (tenor sax, soprano sax), Aidan Carroll (bass), Joe Dyson Jr. (drums)
2018* Moments Preserved Impulse! Most tracks trio, with Ameen Saleem (bass), Jeremy "Bean" Clemons (drums); three tracks quartet, with Roy Hargrove added
2018 Tea for Two Duo, with Kyle Athayde (vibraphone)
2023 Solo Game Artwork Records Solo album (Fortner plays piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, vocoder, carillon, celesta, drum set, percussion, etc.)

As sideman

Year recorded Leader Title Label
2007* Theo Croker The Fundamentals Left Sided Music
2009* Clyde Kerr Jr. This Is Now
2010* Donald Harrison Quantum Leaps Fomp
2011* Etienne Charles Kaiso Culture Shock
2011 Lauren Henderson Lauren Henderson Brontosaurus
2011* Arnold Lee Arnold Lee Quartet Leeandthem
2011 Theo Croker Afro Physicist OKeh/DDB
2012* Truan Savage Five Colors
2013 Justin Robinson Alana's Fantasy Criss Cross Jazz
2015 Lauren Henderson A La Madrugada Brontosaurus
2015* Paul Jones Short History Blu Jazz
2016 Cécile McLorin Salvant Dreams and Daggers Mack Avenue
2017* Guilhem Flouzat A Thing Called Joe Sunnyside
2018 Lauren Henderson Ármame Brontosaurus
2018* Paul Simon In the Blue Light Legacy
2018* Cécile McLorin Salvant The Window Mack Avenue
2019 Lauren Henderson Alma Oscura Brontosaurus
2019* Lage Lund Terrible Animals Criss Cross Jazz[14]
2020 Lauren Henderson The Songbook Session Brontosaurus
2020 Lauren Henderson Classic Christmas Brontosaurus
2020 Peter Bernstein What Comes Next Smoke Sessions
2020–21 Cécile McLorin Salvant Ghost Song Nonesuch
2021 Lauren Henderson Musa Brontosaurus
2022* Melissa Aldana 12 Stars Blue Note
2022* Mike Moreno Standards From Film Criss Cross Jazz
2023 Samara Joy A Joyful Holiday Verve[15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Get to Know Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist Sullivan Fortner". (October 7, 2014) American Pianists Association.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sullivan Fortner". (September 22, 2013) Smalls Live.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Panken, Ted (September 2018). "Baptized in Jazz". DownBeat. pp. 45–47.
  4. ↑ Burton, Tonya (October 7, 2014) "Society Column: Jazz Pianists Impress APA Sponsors at Ozdemir Estate". Current in Carmel.
  5. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (October 23, 2009) "Jazz and Funk Roots, Joyfully Unearthed". The New York Times.
  6. 1 2 West, Michael J. (January 25, 2015) Pianist Sullivan Fortner and Ensemble at Kennedy Center". The Washington Post.
  7. ↑ Ross, John (October 2014) "Justin Robinson – The Power of Dedication". Down Beat. p. 21.
  8. ↑ Chinen, Nate (March 29, 2015) "Sullivan Fortner Wins 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ Hale, James (January 2016). "Sullivan Fortner – Aria". DownBeat. Vol. 83, no. 1. Chicago. p. 60. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Paul Simon to Release New Album – In the Blue Light – on September 7 Coinciding with Final Leg of Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour". AllAboutJazz. July 17, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Steinway Featured Artist: Sullivan Fortner".
  12. ↑ Morrison, Allen (July 2016). "25 for the Future / Sullivan Fortner". DownBeat. Vol. 83, no. 7. Chicago. p. 30. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  13. ↑ "Rising Star Arranger". DownBeat. Vol. 87, no. 8. August 2020. p. 39.
  14. ↑ van de Linde, François (July 19, 2019). "Lage Lund: Terrible Animals". Jazz Journal. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  15. ↑ Whitlock, Kevin (December 2023 – January 2024). "Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday". Jazzwise. No. 291. p. 37.
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