Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sullivan Fortner: Southern Nights

Sullivan Fortner: Southern Nights

By Pierre Giroux
May 17, 2025
View read count

On Southern Nights, pianist

Sullivan Fortner

piano
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Sullivan Fortner sets out to capture lightning in a bottle and succeeds with radiant charm. Joined by the impeccable

Peter Washington

bass
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Washington on bass and the restless

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcus Gilmore on drums, Fortner opts for total spontaneity: no rehearsals, no retakes, no isolation. The result is a recording that feels alive and as richly human as a live club set, yet marked by an almost telepathic cohesion.

The album opens with the title track "Southern Nights," a joyous composition by

Allen Toussaint

piano and vocals
1938 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Allen Toussaint, a nod to Fortner's New Orleans roots. Fortner treats the melody with reverence before sending it skyward through sparking reharmonization and playful rhythmic shifts. Washington's big, round sound and Gilmore's simmering drum work lend the tune a weightless, nocturnal feeling, a perfect invitation into Fortner's world. Cole Porter wrote " I Love You" in 1944 for his stage musical "Mexican Hayride" and was first recorded by Bing Crosby that same year; In this interpretation, the trio strikes a balance between precision and abandon. Fortner dispatches the familiar theme with witty chordal jabs before launching into a solo filled with elastic runs and joyous eruptions. Gilmore drives the performance with off-kilter accents that seem to dare Fortner to stretch even further, a dare the pianist accepts with gleeful brilliance.

"9 Bar Tune" is a beguiling Fortner original and a tribute to his late mentor

Bill Lee

bass, acoustic
b.1928

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Lee. The number is built around a slightly askew form that delights in its unpredictability and is filled with Fortner's angular phrasing. Gilmore's drumming finds the center of the number's eccentricities and anchors it with authority. The standard "Tres Palabras," by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farr��s, slows the pace, offering a moment of hushed romantic beauty as Fortner's velvet touch never oversells the ballad's inherent tenderness. Washington's solo, full of yearning and grace, adds emotional interest to the interpretation.

Clifford Brown

trumpet
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Clifford Brown's" Daahoud" is an exuberant take on this jazz standard as the trio hurtles through the changes with quicksilver agility. Fortner's solo is a marvel of melodic invention, and Gilmore shows he is a drummer with a flair of percussive energy. The

Woody Shaw

trumpet
1944 - 1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Woody Shaw original, "Organ Grinder," closes the session with a roguish wink. In this bluesy, slightly tipsy stroll, Fortner's deep love for groove is showcased and propelled by Gilmore's effervescent workout of his drum kit. The number feels less like a final statement than a promise that the trio has only just begun.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Southern Nights; I Love You; 9 Bar Tune; Tres Palabras; Waltz for Monk; Arain, Never; Discovery; Daahoud; Organ Grinder.

Personnel

Sullivan Fortner

piano

Peter Washington

bass

Marcus Gilmore

drums

Album information

Title: Southern Nights | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Artwork Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Hakan Ba?ar, Hay��li, Ferdinando Ro...
< Previous

Mike Scott Of The Waterboys: The Bal...
Next >

Sullivan Fortner Concerts

Oct 16 Thu

Sullivan Fortner Trio

Blue Note
Milano, Italy

Mar 7 Sat

Sullivan Fortner Trio

Miller Theatre at Columbia University
New York, NY

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.