SULLIVAN FORTNER

LEAVE THAT IN THERE

Artwork Records / (PIAS)

Sullivan Fortner, piano/Hammond B3 organ/synthesizers/marimba/vocals/composer; Tyrone Allen, bass/Moog/sub 37; Kayvon Gordon, drums/percussions; Jack DeBoe, percussions/ background vocals.

A very African introduction with rhythms and drums calls me to attention. The melody is injected by Fortner, who plays multiple instruments on this album.  The groove is hypnotic. This is Fortner’s sixth album release and perhaps his most personal to date. Clearly the recording is threading together spiritual traditions, history, Sullivan’s memories and experiences, but also the inclusion of both acoustic and electronic instrumentation.

The title of his album is drawn from a line in Spike Lee’s “When the Levees Broke,” a documentary released in 2006 that showed the devastation that happened to New Orleans, Louisiana. This album portrays themes of survival, humor, grief, ancestry and resilience. All of this grew from Sullivan Fortner’s strong Gulf Southern roots.

“Que Diablos” immediately grabs my attention with its percussive introduction, spotlighting both drums and the piano.  Fortner’s hands pound out the groove, setting the tone and the excitement. I recognize how hard it is to play that melodic line with his right hand, while his left hand is chording and keeping the time with a fast choppy rhythm. Impressive.

“Aerobatics Part 1 and Part 2” celebrate a completely different side of Fortner and his music. This is free form jazz that flows from his fingertips like question marks and exclamation marks sprayed across space.

“Sorcerer’s Stick” is fusion and traditional making a baby. Love it! This album marks the first studio recording working with this trio of bassist Tyrone Allen II and drummer Kayvon Gordon. A song called “Swirl” follows.  Now Fortner sits at the Hammon B3 organ.

The bowing of Allen II’s double bass grabs my ear and won’t let it go. Then it changes to his fingers plucking the bass strings and creating mood and rhythm.  Fortner’s synthesizer dances like a flute winging across the sky. “T295” is an odd title. The tune is brief, but powerful. I played this one twice.

“Number 3” is a very beautiful composition that features Fortner on piano, with magic fingers joined by the pulse of Tyrone Allen’s bass and Kayon Gordon’s drums, they bounce to create a solid infectious Straight-ahead groove. Do I hear Fortner playing the piano strings?

This is a composer who is stretching his boundaries and soaring into spaces he has not examined before. He represents creativity on steroids. His is an unbreakable imagination that races through his fingertips, reflected in the instruments that he plays like angry lightning or sweet maple syrup.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

Subscribe to Our Newsletter