Sean Sullivan To Release New Album, 'Hereafter'

On January 21, 2014 Sean Sullivan will release his new album, 'Hereafter.' Produced by Matt Pierson, the album spotlights the NYC jazz-scene fixture and two-time winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest as a singer-songwriter, infusing Americana and folk into his signature bluesy sound.

Born in the South into what he calls a "flamboyant" family — one grandfather was a preacher, the other a mob lawyer — and then growing up on NYC's Upper West Side, Sullivan reconnects with his folk roots on 'Hereafter,' cutting a figure not unlike Amos Lee or Ray LaMontagne. "A Man's Woman" is a dark and soulful opener fit for a film-noir soundtrack. On "Wandering Home," Sullivan puts his Wesleyan University literature studies to use in a tone poem that parallels Homer's "Odyssey," with deft references to Odysseus, Icarus and Prometheus. "Don’t Get Me Started" has Marvin Gaye written all over it, as Sullivan playfully warns listeners of his artistic temperament: "It's a risky proposition, hangin' out with me / Another jive musician, hooked on melody."

Recorded at Sear Sound with a host of veteran NYC players, the album includes covers that speak to Sullivan's varied influences. Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain" is rendered as a ballad with soprano sax, while Stevie Wonder's classic "Until You Come Back to Me" is driven by Fender Rhodes and lush female harmonies. On "Gimme That Wine," a funky take on a song by Sullivan's musical mentor, Jon Hendricks, Sullivan namedrops Scarlett Johansson and Megan Fox (he'd take wine over them). 

After studying jazz at Berklee College of Music and classical guitar at the New England Conservatory, Sullivan met Hendricks at NYC's New School; the mentorship has led to collaborations and friendships with Ray Charles alumnus David "Fathead" Newman and pianist-singer Teri Thornton. In addition to performances at Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival and Mellon Jazz Fest, Sullivan has played myriad rooms in NYC, including Birdland and Iridium, while teaching vocal jazz at New York University and Wesleyan. His debut release was 2010's 'Square One,' a more straightforward jazz album that featured Newman; Wynton Marsalis has said of Sullivan, "You are jazz."