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Sullivan Fortner

Sullivan Fortner is a pianist, composer, bandleader, arranger, and educator whose work moves between solo invention, trio playing, and vocal partnerships.

PianoComposerBandleaderArranger3 current shows
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Photo source · Photo: Tore Sætre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Career Overview

About Sullivan Fortner

Fortner’s official biography traces his path from New Orleans through Oberlin and Manhattan School of Music into work as a pianist, composer, bandleader, arranger, and educator. It documents a leader catalog that alternates between solo studio construction and acoustic trio performance.[1]

The same biography distinguishes his own releases from long collaborations, especially his piano-and-voice partnership with Cécile McLorin Salvant. It also records a current trio with Tyrone Allen and Kayvon Gordon and an extensive practice of teaching and masterclasses.[1]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Leader, pianist, and composer

Sullivan Fortner Trio

Fortner’s biography identifies Tyrone Allen and Kayvon Gordon as a working trio and places the group alongside his solo and collaborative formats.[1]

Pianist, arranger, producer, and duo collaborator

Cécile McLorin Salvant partnership

Fortner’s official history documents his roles on The Window, Ghost Song, and other projects with Salvant, including both performance and arrangement.[1]

Solo pianist, composer, and producer

Solo Game

The solo project uses acoustic piano and studio tools as a self-contained compositional setting distinct from Fortner’s trio work.[1]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

2015 · Impulse! Records

Aria

Leader, pianist, and composer

Fortner’s first leader album begins the four-record sequence documented in his official biography.[1]

Release details

2024

Solo Game

Solo pianist, composer, and producer

The official biography presents Solo Game as a studio-centered solo statement using Fortner’s instrumental and production vocabulary.[1]

Release details

2025

Southern Nights

Trio leader and pianist

Southern Nights returns Fortner to an acoustic trio setting with Peter Washington and Marcus Gilmore.[1]

Release details

Artist-Authorized Destinations

Start Listening

Official Spotify artist page

Hear Fortner’s leader albums and collaborative recordings through his canonical artist profile.

Official Apple Music artist page

Browse Fortner’s leader and sideman catalog through his verified Apple Music destination.

Live Calendar

Upcoming Jazz DateBook Shows

Fri, Sep 25, 5:00 PM

Peter Bernstein Quartet

Zig Zag Jazz Club · Berlin

Show details

Fri, Sep 25, 5:30 PM

Peter Bernstein Quartet

Zig Zag Jazz Club · Berlin

Show details

Sun, Sep 27, 8:30 PM

Peter Bernstein Quartet w/ Sullivan Fortner, Doug Weiss & Kush Abadey (USA)

Porgy & Bess · Vienna

Show details

Evidence-Based Connections

Related Musician Guides

Connections below come from shared current Jazz DateBook bills or normalized documented performance roles—not subjective similarity.

Peter BernsteinGuitar · Composer3 shared current showsDoug WeissDouble bass · Bandleader3 shared current showsKush AbadeyDrums · Collaborator3 shared current showsAdrean FarrugiaPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · BandleaderAmina FigarovaPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · BandleaderAnthony WonseyPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · Bandleader

Sources

Career copy is original synthesis from the artist, label, and project sources below. Current dates come from Jazz DateBook event inventory.

  1. [1] Official biography, projects, and leader discography

    Sullivan Fortner

  2. [2] Official artist and tour site

    Sullivan Fortner