Sullivan Fortner Trio

If you want to know what can still be drawn from a simple blues pattern today, from a standard or a Stevie Wonder melody, and how jazz history can be incorporated into original compositions in truly original ways—you should listen to Sullivan Fortner. The 40-year-old pianist from New Orleans has long been one to watch—not only as a bandleader, but also for his remarkable collaborations with Ambrose Akinmusire, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Roy Hargrove, and Paul Simon. With his Grammy-winning album “Southern Nights,” released this year—a declaration of love for the traditions of his homeland—he has finally secured his rightful place among the best pianists of his generation. With his superbly tight-knit trio, he swings—as elegantly as Oscar Peterson, as eloquently as Fred Hersch, and as complexly as Jason Moran—through his seemingly inexhaustible repertoire, open in every direction, groovy and deep.