Pianist and composer Sullivan Fortner, along with Tyrone Allen on bass and Kayvon Gordon on drums will close out the Vivo Jazz Festival, March 7.

Vivo Performing Arts is hosting pianist and composer Sullivan Fortner at Arrow Street Arts in Cambridge on March 8 at 7 p.m. with Tyrone Allen on bass and Kayvon Gordon on drums in a one-show-only musical experience that will close out Vivo’s fourday jazz festival.

Fortner’s recording, “Southern Nights,” earlier this month won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. He’s also garnered recognition as an accompanist for famed vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant and Samara Joy. His work with Joy on “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me,” on her album, “Portrait,” won a 2025 Grammy. He enhances the work of those he accompanies and innovates in solo work and in his trio.

This year Fortner will be performing at the Piacenza Jazz Festival (Italy), The Big Ears Festival (Knoxville, Tennessee), the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Gilmore Festival (Kalamazoo, Michigan), the Montreal Jazz Festival and numerous other venues.

As usual, he will often be playing with Salvant, sometimes with acclaimed trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and sometimes with a trio.

The Banner spoke with Fortner about his head-spinning year of awards and his plans for the future.

Banner: You just won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental album, “Southern Nights.” Tell us about the album.

Fortner: Well, the album was recorded during a one-week residency I was doing at the Village Vanguard from July 3, 2023, through July 7. The Vanguard is a very famous, world-renowned jazz club in New York City. So many jazz legends have played there: Miles, Coltrane, Monk. I was there with my trio: Peter Washington on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums. It was the first time that Peter and Marcus had met. I wanted to record and document the performances; initially, I wanted it to be live at the club, but for a number of technical reasons, that wasn’t possible.

So we booked Sear Sound Studio, and on one Saturday afternoon we recorded the album in four hours. With one take, two takes, maximum. Maybe one edit for an introduction to a song. It was an old-school way of recording. And the album was released in March 2025.

In addition to your Grammy win, you also just were awarded $300,000, as the recipient of Gilmore’s inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, “the largest single gift ever dedicated solely to a jazz artist.” (Unrelated to Marcus Gilmore.) That creates enormous artistic freedom — any plans on what to do with the money?

Absolutely no idea! I have four years to figure it out. There are some stipulations, but it is solely for my use. Eventually, I would like to buy some property; it would definitely help with that. I’m also dedicated to a few projects: recording my family singing and giving to organizations that help young students of music in New Orleans.

Recording your family singing?

I come from a family of singers. Mostly in church. Ever since I was little, we’d put on concerts in my uncle’s church. I’m the only one who pursued a professional performing arts career. I think it’s a good idea to capture the family’s singing onto wax.

You’re often performing with the great vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. Tell us about how that collaboration got started.

I actually wrote her on Facebook in 2015. I had a two-night residency at the Mezzrow jazz club in New York and thought it would be a good idea to perform with a singer. I was having lunch with a friend, and told her I wanted to contact Cécile, but didn’t have her number. She suggested I try to reach her on Facebook, and so I just wrote her at random, and she agreed at once.

As a pianist and composer, what happens to your music when you collaborate with vocalists, such as Salvant and Samara Joy?

As a piano player, you become aware of the singer’s stories and lyrics. The stories have to be told. It’s a distraction from the melody; being distracted, too, by the way they sing. I also learned that by playing in church. Gospel is songs with a message. With gospel, you have to be sure that the message isn’t taken over by the melody.

Of the great pianists, is it fair to ask you who are some of your inspirations?

So many different types of music, so many different piano players! Errol Garner, Fats Waller, Mary Lou Williams, Billy Preston, Fats Domino, James Booker, Chucho Valdez, Eddie Palmieri. I’m also inspired by James Cleveland, Richard Smallwood and Aretha Franklin.

You’re performing at the Arrow Arts jazz festival on March 8. Who will be with you and what will you do?

My trio: Tyrone Allen on bass and Kayvon Gordon on drums. I have no idea what we’ll be playing! Well, it’ll be mix and match, a mixture from, “Southern Nights” and my upcoming two albums.

When is the next album out? And what’s it about?

It’s called, “Leave That in There,” and it will be out in the summer. It is a continuation of my album, “Solo Game,” acoustic and electronic, lots of overdubbing, very different than “Southern Nights.” Mostly all original tunes.

ON THE WEB

Learn more at vivoperformingarts.org/live-performances/jazz-festival