Blue Engine Records Announces Sean Mason’s Debut Album
The Southern Suite
Out October 27, 2023 via Blue Engine Records
September 8, 2023: Blue Engine Records, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s in-house record label, announces the upcoming release of jazz pianist and composer Sean Mason’s debut album The Southern Suite. Today, the lead track “Closure” is released on all major streaming platforms alongside a music video that captures the dynamic live interplay of Mason’s quintet. The Southern Suite will be released on October 27, 2023, and is currently available for pre-order.
A rising star who’s earned praise and support from both Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Mason’s infectious, melodic compositions combine the Southern elegance of his native North Carolina with the urban sophistication of his current home, New York City. “Closure” finds Mason wrestling with duality, as the composition represents “… the end of a chapter. It communicates a ‘fuck you with a smile’, that I have the freedom to break the rules while still honoring my musical ancestors. It’s rooted in gospel nostalgia—intersecting the rhythm of swing with contrapuntal techniques of classical music.
The genesis of The Southern Suite came from an all-star quintet which Mason handpicked: Tony Glausi (trumpet), Chris Lewis (tenor saxophone), Felix Moseholm (bass), and Domo Branch (drums). Mason recalls, “It was during the first rehearsal that we realized how special of a group we were. We had only played through my first two songs when we all stopped, looked at each other, smiled… and said, ‘Whoa—we should record this.’
“This album is situated at the intersection of ‘renaissance’ and ‘street culture’” explains Mason. “Each song represents a deviation from traditionalism and the cultural norms that I often felt forced to conform to, leading me to embrace the convergence of such paradoxical concepts and embody them through the musical language.” The Southern Suite portrays a resolution of these polar forces and is a bold statement of purpose from Mason, a generational talent well on his way to becoming a leading pianist/composer of his time.
Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean took to the piano at the late age of 13, teaching himself by ear to play the styles of music he was most attracted to. His approach quickly evolved into a highly original language. Sean’s unique voice in jazz is steeped in the sound of the South, allowing an extended time for groove while also displaying a vocabulary far beyond his years. As a bandleader, he leads the Sean Mason Quartet, a band assembled to play Sean’s original music, which has been described as highly melodic and infectious.
The Southern Suite Tracklist:
01 Final Voyage
02 Kid
03 Lavendar
04 SillyM
05 One United
06 Lullaby
07 Closure
08 Sean’s Theme
When Sean Mason speaks about music, you can hear the notes falling into place. The cadence of his ideas unfolds with deliberate tempo, each exploring and resolving tension like an inspired chord progression. On his debut album, The Southern Suite, he emerges as a guiding luminary, shining his introspective command as both a pianist and composer through the historic lens of jazz to create a work that distills the essence of the genre for our time even as it points the way forward.
“This album is situated at the intersection of ‘renaissance’ and ‘street culture’” explains Mason. “Each song represents a deviation from traditionalism and the cultural norms that I often felt forced to conform to, leading me to embrace the convergence of such paradoxical concepts and embody them through the musical language.” The Southern Suite portrays a resolution of these polar forces and is a bold statement of purpose from Mason, a generational talent well on his way to becoming a leading pianist/composer of his time.
Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean took to the piano at the late age of 13, teaching himself by ear to play the styles of music he was most attracted to. His approach quickly evolved into a highly original language. Sean’s unique voice in jazz is steeped in the sound of the South, allowing an extended time for groove while also displaying a vocabulary far beyond his years. As a bandleader, he leads the Sean Mason Quartet, a band assembled to play Sean’s original music, which has been described as highly melodic and infectious.
“I first got into music by going to church every Sunday, but the movie Ray was the catalyst for me to actually begin playing piano,” recalls Mason. “My grandmother gifted me a small Casio piano and from there I began teaching myself to play, studying for countless hours and devoting concentrated time on developing my sound.” During his time in North Carolina, Sean met jazz legend Branford Marsalis, who was immediately taken by Sean’s musicality and recommended he move to New York. “I told my brother [Wynton Marsalis], ‘Be on the lookout for this kid,’” Marsalis recalls. Upon his arrival, Sean hit the ground running, quickly securing performances and residencies at some of New York’s most prestigious jazz clubs, all while attending The Juilliard School.
The genesis of Sean’s debut album The Southern Suite came from an all-star quintet which Mason handpicked: Tony Glausi (trumpet), Chris Lewis (tenor saxophone), Felix Moseholm (bass), and Domo Branch (drums). Mason recalls, “It was during the first rehearsal that we realized how special of a group we were. We had only played through my first two songs when we all stopped, looked at each other, smiled… and said, ‘Whoa—we should record this.’ From there, I got the ball moving for us to record an album, but before we ever got into the studio, we went on an incredible two-week tour. We were fortunate to have that time together, as it gave us a chance to fully internalize the music before recording.”
It helps that the melodies contained within The Southern Suite are timeless; they are as fresh as anything out there, and yet they sound so familiar. They take their influence from the jazz tradition and possess an x-factor that puts them in their own category—a magical junction of the lowdown blues joint, the wooden pew of the Black Baptist church, and the glamor of a Broadway score: uptown elegance intermingled with downtown grit.
Tracks like “Lullaby” directly invoke Sean’s respect for family and the Southern tradition. “I grew up with my grandmother living across the street from me, and we had a very close relationship,” Sean recalls. “After her passing, one way that I processed my grief was through composing ‘Lullaby’. This song is a reminder of the love we shared and the joy of her existence. I was intentional about composing a ballad that described love the way I experienced it in the South—from the understanding that ‘family always comes first.’”
The more up tempo “Closure” finds Mason again wrestling with duality, as the composition represents “… the end of a chapter. It communicates a ‘fuck you with a smile’, that I have the freedom to break the rules while still honoring my musical ancestors. It’s rooted in gospel nostalgia—intersecting the rhythm of swing with contrapuntal techniques of classical music.
The music on The Southern Suite is a rich evocation of life, including all its inherent contradictions and complexities—those of nuanced optimism and subtle melancholy. Mason contends, “This album is a nod to my influences while equally asserting that I won’t be constrained to one thing.”
CREDITS
LINER NOTES:
Sean Mason Quintet
“The Southern Suite”
Liner notes by Jesse Markowitz
Sean Mason is from the South; Charlotte, North Carolina to be specific. He approaches life at a different pace than most: more measured and less frantic. When he walks through a room, he takes a unique path. His style is as bold as it is elegant. His manner of speaking is direct and to-the-point in our careful society. And then there is the music…
With the release of his debut album The Southern Suite, which was assembled with input from the legendary Branford Marsalis, Sean emerges as a beacon of light, encapsulating the entire history of jazz leading up to this moment and refining human expression into an artistry that could be described as generational.
While Sean has made a splash in New York City as a working pianist stacking up credits alongside music’s elite, the real instrument on display here is the band itself. The Sean Mason Quintet is made up of some of the finest musicians on the New York scene who are therefore top of their class, the world over: Sean Mason (piano), Tony Glausi (trumpet), Chris Lewis (tenor saxophone), Felix Moseholm (bass), and Domo Branch (drums). Being a fly on the wall when this group convenes is an exhilarating experience; they push the limits of acceptable good-natured ribbing but always bring it back to a fundamental place of love and devotion among brothers. That energy is mirrored as they walk out on stage and—without any charts in front of them—plow through Sean’s original music, exploring every last possibility of where these tunes can go. Seemingly disparate songs might be joined by one of Sean’s trademark cinematic solo piano interludes, which have the power to stop a busy crowd dead in its tracks; if you’ve heard Sean once, you know what this is. Said interludes are part of Sean’s gift of spontaneous curation, which might put a song in a different key than the night before, giving it a wildly different energy; it’s the act of mutual trust, courage, and respect among bandmates elevated to great art.
It helps that the melodies contained within The Southern Suite are timeless; they are as fresh as anything out there, and yet they sound so familiar. They take their influence from the jazz tradition, and they also possess an x-factor which puts them in their own category, a magical junction of the lowdown blues joint, the wooden pew of the black Baptist church, and the glamour of a Broadway score; uptown elegance intermingled with downtown grit. The music on The Southern Suite is a rich evocation of (Southern) life at its finest; an acknowledgement of dance, of unspoken, unbridled joy and of subtle melancholy. The moments that stem from a comfortable silence among friends are represented in a vamp going on a little bit longer than you’d expect. A tender melody played again is like a welcome breeze cutting through a humid day. It would be futile to describe the music in technical terms, as some have suggested that nothing worth knowing can be understood with the mind. Sean’s music invites you on a journey down South, at your own pace; this is Sean’s Theme.
All compositions written by Sean Mason
1. Final Voyage
2. Kid
3. Lavender
4. SilkyM
5. One United
6. Lullaby
7. Closure
8. Sean’s Theme
PERSONNEL:
Sean Mason, Piano
Chris Lewis, Tenor Saxophone
Tony Glausi, Trumpet
Felix Mads-Moseholm, Bass
Domo Branch, Drums
Executive Producer: Wynton Marsalis
Mix Consultant: Branford Marsalis
Recording and Mixing Engineer: Todd Whitelock
Recorded at PowerStation/ Berklee NYC – Studio A; July 18,19,20, 2022
Assisted by: Teng Chen, Brett Mayer
Mixed at Sear Sound, Studio A; Sept.12,13 & Oct.24, 2022
Assisted by: Steve Sacco
ProTools Engineer: Chris Gold
Label Head and A&R: Gabrielle Armand
Label Manager: Jake Cohen
Product Manager: Benjamin Korman
Director of Public Relations and External Communications: Zooey T. Jones
Public Relations Manager: Madelyn Gardner
Legal: Suhaydee Tejeda
Art Direction: Brian Welesko
Design: Ryan Rogers, ODDOPOLIS
Photography: Lawrence Sumulong
Cover Photography: Meredeith Truax
Liner Notes: Jesse Markowitz
Recorded live on July 18–20,2022 at Power Station at BerkleeNYC
Leadership support for Blue Engine Records is provided by John and Jody Arnhold.
Leadership support for the inaugural Blue Engine emerging artist release is made possible by the Jay Pritzker Foundation.
Major support is provided by David T. and Lisa Schiff and Len Riggio.
℗ Sean Mason under exclusive license to Jazz at Lincoln Center, Inc.
©2023 Jazz at Lincoln Center, Inc.