(Reprinted from the March 2024 issue of Downbeat magazine)
Each of the 18 instrumental tracks on pianist Sullivan Fortner’s new album Solo Game (ARTR) was a first take—with no second takes, says Fred Hersch, Fortner’s former mentor and one of the album’s producers, in the audio liner notes. Such finesse in the studio requires extreme technical prowess, yes—but it also demands a limitless wealth of improvisational ideas. In this, Fortner has few peers.
As the title suggests, Fortner is the lone player on this two-disc opus (with hand claps by drummer Kyle Poole and vocalese by co-producer/singer Cécile McLorin Salvant on two different tracks), and though acoustic piano is his bailiwick, Fortner uses other instruments in these nimbly improvised performances—electronic keyboards, hand percussion, and wordless vocals. Regardless of the medium, though, the acuity of his compositional vision almost seems to contradict the spontaneity of the execution. Just how do these improvisations spring so fully formed from those deft hands?
With the starting point for each performance either a standard/pop tune or an original composition, Fortner’s brilliance lies in the unexpected journey through each piece. Under his purview the sweet romance of “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” becomes a dark rumination, the ditty “I’m All Smiles” a near-classical etude, and “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” an exposition of refined reharmonization. Later, as Fortner moves deeper into the album’s setlist, he adds experimental instrumentation to his originals: fast-clip electronica to “It’s A Game,” a retro scratchiness to “Stag,” and breathy, processed vocals on “Space Walk.”
Notably, the few titles mentioned here give only a glimpse into the album’s rich inventiveness, which demands a full listen. To this point, in a second audio commentary, pianist Jason Moran has the final say: “I guarantee you it’s worth it.”—Suzanne Lorge
Solo Game: Disc 1 (Solo): Don't You Worry About a Thing; I Didn't Know What Time It Was; Congolese Children; I'm All Smiles; Invitation; Once I Loved; Cute; This Is New; Come Sunday. Disc 2 (Game): Power Mode; It's a Game; Snakes and Ladders; Hounds and Jackal; King's Table; Stag; Cross and Circle; Space Walk; Valse Du Petit Chien; Fred Hersch, Notes on Solo; Jason Moran, Notes on Game. (1:19:00).
Personnel: Sullivan Fortner, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3 organ, vibes, celeste, chime tree, Moog, vocoder, hand percussion, egg shaker, triangle, vocals, hand claps, shakers, Canopus bass drum, Mongolian gong; Kyle Poole, hand claps on Disc 2, track2; Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals on Disc 2, track 3.