For the past decade, Sullivan Fortner has been stretching deep-rooted talents as a pianist, composer, band leader and uncompromising individualist. The GRAMMY Award-winning artist received international praise as both key player and producer for his collaborative work on The Window (Mack Avenue, 2018), alongside multi-GRAMMY winner, vocalist-composer Cecile McLorin Salvant. As a solo leader, he has released Moments Preserved (Decca, 2018) and Aria (Impulse!, 2015) to critical acclaim, and he’s only getting started. This past year, Fortner earned recognition in multiple DownBeat Critics Poll categories, winning first place in Rising Star Piano and Rising Star Jazz Artist.
In addition to associations with such diverse voices as Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Diane Reeves, Etienne Charles and John Scofield, Fortner’s frequent and longtime collaborators have included Ambrose Akinmusire, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Kassa Overall, Tivon Pennicott, Peter Bernstein, Nicholas Payton, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Fred Hersch and the recently departed Roy Hargrove. The highly-sought improviser has performed across the country and throughout the world at such cultural institutions as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Standard, Smalls Jazz Club, Snug Harbor and Sweet Lorraine’s, as well as celebrated festivals, including at Newport, Monterey, Discover, Tri-C and Gillmore Keyboard, among others. In 2019, he brought his band to the historic Village Vanguard for a week-long engagement as a leader. Fortner’s notable studio contributions include work on Etienne Charles’s Kaiso (Culture Shock, 2011), Donald Harrison’s Quantum Leap (FOMP, 2010), and Theo Croker’s The Fundementals (Left Sided Music, 2007).
Playing solo or leading an orchestra, Fortner engages harmony and rhythmic ideas through curiosity and clarity. Within phrases, he finds universes, and listeners often hear how he’s moved by each note he explores. Coming up in New Orleans, Fortner began playing piano at age 7, following a storied lineage of improvisers, masters of time and every iteration of the blues. He earned his Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory and Master of Music in Jazz Performance from Manhattan School of Music (MSM). A champion of mentorship, Fortner has offered masterclasses at MSM, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), Purdue University, Lafayette Summer Music Workshop, Belmont University and Oberlin Conservatory where he held a faculty position.
Marcos Varela, an equally skilled doubler at both acoustic and electric bass, is among the most highly respected bassists/musicians in the American and International Jazz/music scene. His talents have also earned him many awards and accolades as a musician, composer, producer, band leader, and educator.
In his hometown of Houston, Texas, Varela attended the renowned High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, which paved the path for him to NYC to attend the storied New School on scholarship. As a professional musician, he continues to be very active in the New York jazz and contemporary music scene, and has made a name for himself as one of the most in-demand bassists in the City and worldwide. He regularly performs with a wide variety of ensembles and band leader including: The Mingus Big Band, Nasheet Waits, John Holiday, George Cables, Ingrid Jensen, Billy Hart, Antoine Roney, Charli Persip, Clifton Anderson, Jason Moran, Geri Allen, The Last Poets, Leslie Odom, Jr., Frank Lacy’s Vibe Tribe, Kendrick Scott, Billy Harper, Tyshawn Sorey, and Bob Mover, among countless others. Varela was also selected as a member of Jazz at Lincoln Center trombonist Vincent Gardner's Jazz Houston, which has featured guests such as Gregory Porter, Wynton Marsalis, Ruben Blades and Jon Faddis. As a composer, Varela has also composed music for several film and television projects, including director Domenica Cameron-Scorsese's film "Roots in Water."
Legendary bassist Ron Carter contributed to the liner notes for Varela's Origin Records debut album "San Ygnacio,” where Carter writes that Varela's "Tone, Choice of Notes and Compositions will place his playing and name on the list of bassists to be heard.” In addition, Mr. Carter has made statements regarding Varela’s musical contributions, saying of him “a valuable asset to any musical organization,” “a truly unique musician,” “Mr. Varela belongs in the top bass players in the industry and his impressive resume confirms my words,” “a fine example of talent that is essential to the scene,” and “top notch proficiency on his instrument as well as a complete understanding of the history and details of the jazz art form.”
In addition to sideman work, Varela leads his own projects. This includes a European tour which featured a festival headlining performance of the music of his debut album “San Ygnacio” at the historic Jazz á Liège festival in Liege, Belgium. This project (Marcos Varela featuring Billy Hart) shared a billing with Fred Hersch's Trio at the festival. He also headlined leading an all star quartet at Prishtina’s Jazz Week in Kosovo, in March of 2020. He opened for the Legendary Mavis Staples with his “San Ygnacio project” in his hometown of Houston, TX at Discovery Green in October 2021 and most recently headlined the 30th anniversary of the Bilbaina Jazz Association in Bilbao, Spain at the beautiful and historic Teatro Arriaga Antzokia in December 2021. Varela’s newest projects include “One Mind,” recently released on the Spanish label Fresh Sound Records, with pianist Peter Zak, as well as Seamus Blake and Billy Drummond. Another project on the same label “Illumination” featuring Rob Garcia, Marcos Varela, John O’Gallagher, and Noah Preminger, was the most recent release on December 15th, 2020.
Marcos is an NS Design, Aguilar Amplification, Kolstein, Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Fishman, Mono Creators, Ear Trumpet Labs and Fodera Artist.
Sullivan Fortner/Marcos Varela duo with special guest
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