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(Falmouth, Massachusetts): Join us for a not to be missed night of jazz with Grammy award-winning artist Sullivan Fortner. Fortner is a highly acclaimed musician, and a widely sought-after improviser. His music embodies the essence of the blues and jazz as he combines music of all eras and genres through his improvisation. His artistry preserves the tradition and evolves the sound, as he seeks connections among different musical styles that are at once deeply soulful and wildly inventive. Playing solo or leading an orchestra, Fortner engages harmony and rhythmic ideas through curiosity and clarity. He has performed across the country and throughout the world at such cultural institutions as the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Lorraine’s and The Jazz Playhouse in New Orleans, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Smalls Jazz Club in New York City. He’s appeared at celebrated festivals, including Newport, Monterey, and Gillmore Keyboard, among others. In 2019, Fortner brought his band to the historic Village Vanguard for a week-long engagement he would reprise in 2020 as a virtual performance during lockdown. 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 Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Kassa Overall, Peter Bernstein, aTunde Adjuah, Fred Hersch and the late Roy Hargrove, among others. Recent collaborations include Grammy-nominated releases Dear Love (Empress Legacy) and Generations from leaders Jazzmeia Horn and The Baylor Project, respectively. For the past decade, Sullivan Fortner has been stretching his deep-rooted talents as a pianist, composer, band leader and uncompromising individualist. He 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. Now based in New York, Fortner has earned recognition in multiple DownBeat Critics Poll categories, winning first place in Rising Star Piano and Rising Star Jazz Artist. 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. Both his works and his insights have been featured in culturally iconic publications, from The New York Times to The Root. Accolades include the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship awarded by the American Pianists Association, Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and, in 2020, the prestigious Shifting Foundation Grant for artistic career development. $45 members/$55 non-members Registration required visit www.highfieldhallandgardens.org GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 4 pm Saturday, Sunday 10 am – 2 pm Monday, closed Grounds open daily, year-round from dawn to dusk. About Highfield Hall & Gardens The house is a rare surviving example of transitional Stick Style architecture, containing beautiful gardens located in the heart of Falmouth, Massachusetts. It is a unique combination of a historic house, expansive gardens and trails, and a vibrant cultural center. Built in 1878 as the summer home for Boston's Beebe family, the house sits on 5.5 pristine acres surrounded by nearly 400 acres of conservation land and public walking trails. Highfield Hall & Gardens is not your typical historic estate. It is an example of a historic building saved by grassroots community organizing. An effort of tenacity and vision that continues as new research on the structure and its story of the people who lived here add to the building's significance. It offers world-class music, international art exhibitions, culinary classes, family programs, and year- round special events. For more information, visit www.highfieldhallandgardens.org.