Sullivan Fortner
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Sullivan Fortner | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | Script error: No such module "person date". New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: No such module "person date". |
| Genres | Jazz |
| OccupationTemplate:Pluralize from text | Musician, composer |
| InstrumentTemplate:Pluralize from text | Piano |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Website | sullivanfortnermusic |
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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. He has received three Grammy Awards, including Best Jazz Performance for his collaboration with Samara Joy on the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me".[1]
Early life
Fortner was born and grew up in New Orleans.[2][3] He started playing the piano from the age of four.[2] He was inspired to play by seeing a woman playing the organ in a local church.[3] His mother was the choir director of a Baptist church; he began playing the organ there at the age of seven.[4] 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.[4]
Education
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.[3][5]
Later life and career
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In 2009, Fortner was part of vibraphonist Stefon Harris' band,[6] including for a tour of Europe.[4] Fortner was pianist in trumpeter Roy Hargrove's quintet from 2010 to 2017.[4][7] Fortner became strongly influenced by fellow pianist Barry Harris from 2011, when he realised that his knowledge of the music was too shallow.[4] Fortner recorded with the Hargrove band's saxophonist, Justin Robinson, in 2013.[8] In 2015, Fortner was the winner of the American Piano Awards 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".[9]
In early 2015, Fortner's quartet contained saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, bassist Ameen Saleem and drummer Jeremy "Bean" Clemons.[7] Fortner's first release as leader was Aria from Impulse! Records, and received a four-star review from DownBeat magazine.[10] The next, Moments Preserved, was mainly a trio album, with Saleem and Clemons, but Hargrove also played on three of the tracks.[4] Fortner played on some of the tracks that formed Paul Simon's album In the Blue Light.[4][11]
At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Fortner was a winner for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Southern Nights.[12]
Awards and honors
- 2016: Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists [13]
- 2016: DownBeat magazine: "25 for the Future"[14]
- 2020: DownBeat Critics' Poll, Rising Star Arranger[15]
- 2026: The Gilmore's Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award[16]
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 | Solo (Fortner plays piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, vocoder, carillon, celesta, drum set, percussion, etc.) |
| 2025 | Southern Nights | Artwork | Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums)[17] |
As sideman
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | The Fundamentals | Left Sided Music |
| 2009* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | This Is Now | |
| 2010* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Quantum Leaps | Fomp |
| 2011* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Kaiso | Culture Shock |
| 2011 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Lauren Henderson | Brontosaurus |
| 2011* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Arnold Lee Quartet | Leeandthem |
| 2011 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Afro Physicist | OKeh/DDB |
| 2012* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Five Colors | |
| 2013 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Alana's Fantasy | Criss Cross Jazz |
| 2015 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | A La Madrugada | Brontosaurus |
| 2015* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Short History | Blu Jazz |
| 2016 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Dreams and Daggers | Mack Avenue |
| 2017* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | A Thing Called Joe | Sunnyside |
| 2018 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Ármame | Brontosaurus |
| 2018* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | In the Blue Light | Legacy |
| 2018* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | The Window | Mack Avenue |
| 2019 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Alma Oscura | Brontosaurus |
| 2019* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Terrible Animals | Criss Cross Jazz[18] |
| 2020 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | The Songbook Session | Brontosaurus |
| 2020 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Classic Christmas | Brontosaurus |
| 2020 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | What Comes Next | Smoke Sessions |
| 2020–21 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Ghost Song | Nonesuch |
| 2021 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Musa | Brontosaurus |
| 2022* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | 12 Stars | Blue Note |
| 2022* | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Standards From Film | Criss Cross Jazz |
| 2023 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | A Joyful Holiday | Verve[19] |
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sullivan Fortner | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2025-02-08.
- ^ a b "Get to Know Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist Sullivan Fortner". (October 7, 2014) American Pianists Association.
- ^ a b c "Sullivan Fortner". (September 22, 2013) Smalls Live.
- ^ a b c d e f g Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Panken, Ted (September 2018). "Baptized in Jazz". DownBeat. pp. 45–47.
- ^ Burton, Tonya (October 7, 2014) "Society Column: Jazz Pianists Impress APA Sponsors at Ozdemir Estate". Current in Carmel.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (October 23, 2009) "Jazz and Funk Roots, Joyfully Unearthed". The New York Times.
- ^ a b West, Michael J. (January 25, 2015) Pianist Sullivan Fortner and Ensemble at Kennedy Center". The Washington Post.
- ^ Ross, John (October 2014) "Justin Robinson – The Power of Dedication". Down Beat. p. 21.
- ^ Chinen, Nate (March 29, 2015) "Sullivan Fortner Wins 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz". The New York Times.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hale, James (January 2016). "Sullivan Fortner – Aria". DownBeat. Vol. 83, no. 1. Chicago. p. 60. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."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.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Grammys winners list 2026". nytimes.com. February 1, 2026.
- ^ "Steinway Featured Artist: Sullivan Fortner".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Morrison, Allen (July 2016). "25 for the Future / Sullivan Fortner". DownBeat. Vol. 83, no. 7. Chicago. p. 30. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rising Star Arranger". DownBeat. Vol. 87, no. 8. August 2020. p. 39.
- ^ {https://www.thegilmore.org/blog/2026-larry-j-bell-jazz-artist-award-recipient-sullivan-fortner/]
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hobart, Mike (February 14, 2025). "Sullivan Fortner: Southern Nights Album Review — New Orleans Pianist in Bold and Free-Flowing Form". Financial Times. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.van de Linde, François (July 19, 2019). "Lage Lund: Terrible Animals". Jazz Journal. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Whitlock, Kevin (December 2023 – January 2024). "Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday". Jazzwise. No. 291. p. 37.
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