Is the pianist Sullivan Fortner something of the Oscar Peterson of the twenty-first century? Let's just put it this way, twenty-eight years he's on his way. And he certainly is not a copy of the great Oscar Peterson. And that is a good thing. The commonality of the two already ends in the style of play. Fortner's piano playing is reminiscent of his academic training, which sends him on improvisations, which stand out clearly from those of Oscar Peterson, but also from those of the current pianistic competition. The result is not an overly sophisticated kind of playing jazz piano. Rather, it sounds in its mostly rapid succession of short torn ideas, the atonal slightly inclined, extremely modern, but without irritating the listener by rush. Melodies also take place, such as under the fantastic flugelhorn accompaniment in the title Eyes So Beautiful As Yours. The man on the flugelhorn, Roy Hargrove, is a member of the quartet assembled for the album Moments Preserved of the Sullivan Fortner Quartet, also including the double bass player Ameen Saalem and the drummer Jeremy 'Bean' Clemons, who translates the pianist 's playing style in a fascinating way to his percussion. Just in time most likely remembers Oscar Peterson. Again, the drummer shows through a strong solo, in what high a class his contribution to the quartet is classified. In the following New Port one hears in amazement what driving force the drums can put on their legs. Also, in terms of ingenuity of the pianist this title leaves to be desired. A reminiscence of classical music can be found in fantasy. Sergei Rachmaninov is in the air. This may quickly prove embarrassing. But not with Sullivan Fortner, who has the very good taste that enables him to handle the excursion into the classical subject very fleet-footed. The Monk Medley featuring the Flugelhorn proves to be the pearl of the album.

Sullivan Fortner has already made a name for himself in live performances in Europe. At the age of four, he made his way to becoming a pianist. Later he did set the seal to become a pianist by studying music and receiving a degree at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and at the Manhattan School of Music. Fortner began his jazz career after having finished studying in the band of Stefon Harris. Other milestones in direction of issuing his first solo album Aria, released in 2015, include his involvement in the quintet of Roy Hargrove and his joint projects with Nicholas Payton, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Marcus Belgrave, Peter Bernstein and Dave Liebman. In 2015 he won the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz from the American Pianists Association.

Zurück zu Moments Preserved: Das Album ist durch den Stimmungswechsel von Titel zu Titel und das hochklassige, fantasievolle Musizieren aller Beteiligten derart kurzweilig, das man verwundert zur Kenntnis nimmt, dass die Reise durch das Sullivan Fortner Universum bereits ihr Ziel, den letzten Titel erreicht hat. Um besser nachvollziehen zu können, welcher Reichtum an Einfällen da gerade an einem vorbeigezogen ist, hilft nur, den Download erneut von vorne zu starten. Ach ja: die Aufnahmequalität ist dem musikalischen Inhalt angemessen. Moments ist ein Album, dass man unbedingt haben muss.

Back to Moments Preserved: The album is so entertaining due to the change of mood from title to title and the high-class, imaginative music making of all those involved, that one is amazed to note that the journey through the Sullivan Fortner Universe has already reached its final destination. To better understand the wealth of ideas that has just passed by, it only helps to start the download again from the beginning. Oh yes: the recording quality is appropriate to the musical content. Moments Preserved is an album that one absolutely must have.

Sullivan Fortner, piano
Ameen Saleem, bass
Jeremy “Bean” Clemons, drums