Sullivan Fortner Trio

Over the past decade, pianist Sullivan Fortner has developed an expansive and distinctive approach to jazz that combines his New Orleans heritage with the hard bop sounds of New York and a cosmopolitan flair born from years touring the world with luminaries like Roy Hargrove and Cécile McLorin Salvant. The New York Times has praised his music for its “rhythmic brio and harmonic insight,” and All About Jazz has admired his “sophisticated yet earthy way(s) with the pen and the piano.” Fortner’s most recent release is a solo record that showcases the breadth of his artistry, featuring original compositions alongside classics by Stevie Wonder, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Kurt Weill, and Duke Ellington. He nearly stole the show as a sideman with Salvant at her most recent Zellerbach Hall concert, and now makes his Cal Performances debut as a leader with a hard-swinging trio of like-minded young talents.