Sullivan Fortner: Southern Nights

On Southern Nights, pianist Sullivan Fortner sets out to capture lightning in a bottle and succeeds with radiant charm. Joined by the impeccable Peter Washington on bass and the restless 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, 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. 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 Farrés, 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'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 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.

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