# Sullivan Fortner

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 two Grammy Awards, including Best Jazz Performance for his collaboration with Samara Joy on the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me".

## Early life

Fortner was born and grew up in New Orleans. He started playing the piano from the age of four. He was inspired to play by seeing a woman playing the organ in a local church. His mother was the choir director of a Baptist church; he began playing the organ there at the age of seven. 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. 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.

## Later life and career

In 2009, Fortner was part of vibraphonist Stefon Harris' band, including for a tour of Europe. Fortner was pianist in trumpeter Roy Hargrove's quintet from 2010 to 2017. Fortner became strongly influenced by fellow pianist Barry Harris from 2011, when he realised that his knowledge of the music was too shallow. Fortner recorded with the Hargrove band's saxophonist, Justin Robinson, in 2013. 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".
In early 2015, Fortner's quartet contained saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, bassist Ameen Saleem and drummer Jeremy "Bean" Clemons. Fortner's first release as leader was Aria from Impulse! Records, and received a four-star review from DownBeat magazine. The next, Moments Preserved, was mainly a trio album, with Saleem and Clemons, but Hargrove also played on three of the tracks. Fortner played on some of the tracks that formed Paul Simon's album In the Blue Light.

## Awards and honors

* 2016: Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists
* 2016: DownBeat magazine: "25 for the Future"
* 2020: DownBeat Critics' Poll, Rising Star Arranger

## 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.) |
| 2023 | Southern Nights | Artwork | Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums) |

### 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 |
| 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 |