NOW SPINNING
THE SOUTHERN SUITE
Sean Mason
JAZZ • 2023 • BLUE ENGINE RECORDS
It sounds like an urban legend; a kid from Charlotte is exposed to music first at church, then falls in love with piano after seeing a popular movie. At 13, he teaches himself to play by ear on a little 25 key Casio and then, in college at a state school, a legend hears him play and starts him charting the course that will change his life.
But it’s all true. Sean Mason grew up in Charlotte going to church every Sunday. The movie Ray made him want to play piano. His grandmother gave him a 25-key Casio. He taught himself by ear. While attending UNC Greensboro, Branford Marsalis hears him play; asks him to transcribe ‘King Porter Stomp’ and ‘Lyric Pieces.’ Mason comes back and plays them from memory; Branford reaches out his brother Wynton, who runs the jazz program at Julliard, and Mason’s on his way to New York.
‘The Southern Suite’ is his debut as a leader, and it sounds both immediate and timeless. Gospel and blues run through everything; Mason says it is “situated at the intersection of ‘renaissance’ and ‘street culture.’” The whole thing is deeply melodic, extremely Southern, and very, very, very good.
The fact that this is a first record is almost unfair. And he’s got a second album, ‘A Breath of Fresh Air’ that’s just as good.
LISTEN & BUY
If at all possible, buy it at your local record store.