Sullivan Fortner is a distinguished pianist and keyboardist renowned for his exceptional contributions to the jazz genre. With a rich background in music, he has collaborated with some of the most celebrated artists in the industry, including the acclaimed vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. Fortner's artistry will be showcased in an upcoming special event at Princeton University on October 9, 2024, where he will accompany Salvant in a unique fusion of Baroque music, vaudeville, and folkloric traditions. This performance promises to be a captivating evening, blending timeless stories with innovative musical expressions. Fortner's involvement in the creative work "Book of Ayres," authored by Salvant, further highlights his versatility and commitment to pushing the boundaries of jazz. His ability to seamlessly integrate various musical styles has earned him recognition as a leading figure in contemporary jazz. As he continues to engage audiences with his remarkable talent, Fortner remains a pivotal force in the music scene, eagerly anticipated for his future projects and performances.

Pianist

The virtuoso pianist, best known for his work with Cécile McLorin Salvant, presents rare solo concerts of Thelonious Monk’s music as part of our annual Monk’s birthday celebration.

In only a few short years, the New Orleans native has risen from relative obscurity outside of the jazz cognoscenti to global recognition as a peerless virtuoso and stylist. Starting on piano at seven, Fortner was a well-established veteran by the time he passed through Oberlin Conservatory, and now, at 37, he is an award-winning bandleader, sideman, composer, and collaborator who has paired with a staggering list of notables including Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Stefon Harris, Etienne Charles, Gary Bartz, Samara Joy, and Roy Hargrove.

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Sullivan Fortner, Solo

SFJAZZ Center

### Cécile McLorin Salvant Special Event at Princeton University

**Event:** Cécile McLorin Salvant Special Event  
**Date:** Wednesday, October 9, 2024  
**Time:** 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM EDT  
**Venue:** Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, Princeton University

#### Event Description:
Join us for an extraordinary evening with the legendary jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, accompanied by an ensemble of renowned musicians. This special event will feature a unique fusion of Baroque music, vaudeville, Sappho, and folkloric material from Europe and the Americas, creating a new type of folk song inspired by timeless and universal stories. Salvant, celebrated as one of the greatest jazz singers of her generation, will bring her exceptional storytelling and vocal prowess to the stage, blending old and new musical traditions.

#### Performers:
- **Cécile McLorin Salvant:** Vocals
- **Sullivan Fortner:** Piano/Harpsichord/Keyboards
- **Emi Ferguson:** Flute
- **Dušan Balarin:** Theorbo/Lute
- **Yasushi Nakamura:** Bass
- **Keita Ogawa:** Percussion

#### Ticket Information:
- **Curated Subscription:** Available as part of a curated subscription package.
- **Make-Your-Own Series:** Customize your own series and include this event.
- **Princeton University Student Early Bird Program:** Special early bird tickets for Princeton students.
- **Single Tickets:** Go on sale on Monday, August 5 at noon Eastern time.

#### Additional Information:
- **Parking and Accessibility:** Get directions, see parking and accessibility info, and download seating charts.
- **Contact:** For more information, call 609-258-2800.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience a night of innovative and captivating music with Cécile McLorin Salvant and her ensemble. Add this event to your calendar and be part of an unforgettable musical journey.

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Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocals

Alexander Hall

Celebrating what would have been composer/keyboardist Sun Ra's 110th birthday on May 22, Grammy-winning, Earth-born, New Orleans pianist/keyboardist Sullivan Fortner has summoned his most galactic-minded of friends to delve into Sun Ra's inventive and adventurous music. From swing to free to earthy and spacey, Fortner and his fellow explorers – including Sun Ra Arkestra veterans and Grammy-winners –  will embrace the eclecticism that marked Sun Ra's atmospheric musical forays. 

Sun Ra At 110 With Sullivan Fortner's Galactic Friends

Jazz at Lincoln Center

During his 15-year career, Akinmusire has paradoxically situated himself in both the center and the periphery of jazz, most recently emerging in both classical and hip-hop circles. He masterfully weaves inspiration from other genres, arts, and life in general into compositions that are as poetic and graceful as they are bold and unflinching.

Weather Bird

University of Michigan

Cécile McLorin Salvant, jazz vocals with Sullivan Fortner, piano

Clayton State University

Two powerhouse soloists partner to present Songs of Black America.

Brandon Patrick George & Aaron Diehl

PPU Pittsburgh Playhouse

Pianist and composer Sullivan Fortner exudes an inventiveness that many jazz artists develop growing up in the crucible of creativity that is New Orleans. His first appearance at the Stanford Jazz Festival with Cécile McLorin Salvant was jaw-droppingly fresh and gorgeous, and his work with Cécile led to their Grammy win for The Window. In this special performance, Sullivan appears with his trio, with whom he’s been extending the jazz piano trio tradition into swinging new territory. Special guest Anat Cohen is the preeminent virtuoso on clarinet and cut from the same improvisatory cloth as Sullivan, and together they’ll dazzle you. 

Sullivan Fortner Trio with Anat Cohen

Stanford University

The singer, composer, and visual artist has a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, jazz, and Baroque music. She is an eclectic curator who unearths rarely recorded, forgotten songs with interesting power dynamics and unexpected twists; a composer of new songs; and a visual artist who works in the medium of textile drawings. Each of her past three recordings has won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and in 2020 she was named a MacArthur fellow. The New York Times called Ghost Song, released in March 2022 “her most revealing and rewarding album yet.”

Cécile McLorin Salvant

30 years ago, the late author and Princeton University Professor Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature—the first native-born American to receive that honor since John Steinbeck. Princeton University Concerts joins the Princeton University Library and the McCarter Theatre Center in a campus-wide celebration of this anniversary by commissioning MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist and composer Cecile McLorin Salvant to create a brand-new work inspired by Morrison’s archives, which are housed at the university and will be on display at Firestone Library in a much-anticipated exhibition in the spring. This tribute to the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the author’s legacy will be a rare glimpse into previously unknown aspects of her creative life and practice, as expressed through an equally rare, genre-defying artist— “one of the greatest jazz singers of her generation, although that label sells her short.”

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocalist & Sullivan Fortner, Piano

Richardson Auditorium

30 years ago, the late author and Princeton University Professor Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature—the first native-born American to receive that honor since John Steinbeck. Princeton University Concerts joins the Princeton University Library and the McCarter Theatre Center in a campus-wide celebration of this anniversary by commissioning MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist and composer Cecile McLorin Salvant to create a brand-new work inspired by Morrison’s archives, which are housed at the university and will be on display at Firestone Library in a much-anticipated exhibition in the spring. This tribute to the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the author’s legacy will be a rare glimpse into previously unknown aspects of her creative life and practice, as expressed through an equally rare, genre-defying artist— “one of the greatest jazz singers of her generation, although that label sells her short.” (Rolling Stone)

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocals & Sullivan Fortner, Piano

The singular Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, jazz, and baroque music. Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor. Salvant won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010. She has received Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her 3 latest albums, The Window, Dreams and Daggers, and For One To Love. In 2020, Salvant received the MacArthur fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award. In 2020, Salvant created Yolk, a virtual cross-disciplinary performance space. It features her own hand-drawn animation, compositions, and music, in collaboration with dancers, visual artists, musicians, and actors from around the world.

Bass Concert Hall

Don't miss trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire - called "the most distinctive, elusive and ultimately satisfying trumpeter of his generation" by The New York Times - and his Quartet (pianist Sullivan Fortner, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Justin Brown) featuring special guest Kurt Rosenwinkel.



The Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet, with special guest Kurt Rosenwinkel

Artists For Humanity EpiCenter

Described by NPR Music as “a trumpeter of deep expressive resources and a composer of kaleidoscopic vision,” Ambrose Akinmusire is known for transcending the borders of musical genre, from post-bop and avant-garde jazz to contemporary chamber music and hip-hop to singer-songwriter aesthetics. This Jazz at the Logan concert is sure to broaden horizons and encourage discovery.

Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet with Special Guest Kurt Rosenwinkel

Logan Center

Last we saw Cécile McLorin Salvant, one of the great jazz singers, she held a Jackson Hall audience captive with her majestic song cycle Ogresse. It would be the last performance before the Mondavi Center shut down for a 19-month, pandemic-related pause. Now the singer returns with Ghost Song, a remarkable album born during the pandemic, on which Salvant interprets songs from Kate Bush, Gregory Porter alongside her stunning original compositions. It’s another reminder that Salvant is an artist whose voice and artistry continue to grow with every new step she takes. “People think that I sing love songs, but more and more I’m realizing that I sing about yearning and the imagination that comes from wanting something and not having it,” says Salvant.  “That’s really when we’re at our most creative.”

Cécile McLorin Salvant Quintet

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

This special event transforms The Conrad for the spellbinding, once-in-a-generation vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, a multi-GRAMMY-winner and MacArthur Fellow. Salvant has a captivating passion for storytelling and weaves together jazz, blues, Baroque, and folk traditions from the world over. This evening’s concert will feature works from her new album, Ghost Song, her “most revealing and rewarding album yet” (The New York Times). You’ll leave the concert entranced, but don’t float away too soon. Stick around after the show for the best of San Diego’s culinary scene, craft cocktails, and more live music.

Synergy Under the Influence: Cécile McLorin Salvant

Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

“You get a singer like this once in a generation or two,” Wynton Marsalis told The New Yorker in 2017. Cécile McLorin Salvant is one of jazz’s most startlingly gifted vocalists and storytellers, and new layers of her artistry unfold with each new project and collaboration. Among the most striking successes has been her musical partnership with the brilliant pianist Sullivan Fortner, a master improvisor and endlessly inventive artist in his own right. With every performance, they make a vast range of repertoire come alive in new ways—some breathtaking, others exceedingly subtle. Witness the Grammy Award–winning duo in this Friday-night performance.

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocals Sullivan Fortner, Piano

Carnegie Hall

Three-time GRAMMY Winner Cécile McLorin Salvant is the “the most successful female jazz singer to emerge since the turn of the millennium” (JazzTimes). Following her spellbinding 2022-23 Season performances focused on her latest Nonesuch album Mélusine, she brings music from her latest project.

Sullivan Fortner

Pianist

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 13, 2024

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocals Sullivan Fortner, Piano · Carnegie Hall

2 - 3 May, 2025

Cécile McLorin Salvant · San Francisco Jazz

Past events

10 - 11 Oct, 2024

Sullivan Fortner, Solo · San Francisco Jazz

Oct 9, 2024

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocals · Princeton University Concerts

Future and recently performed repertoire

Piano in Book of Ayres by Salvant

Princeton University Concerts

About

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