Sonny Fortune
- Instrument:
- Alto Saxophone
- Styles:
- Post Bop, Jazz-Funk, Fusion, Soul-Jazz, Modal, Hard Bop, Jazz-Rock, Bop, Funk, Free Jazz
Best Sonny Fortune Albums
Leader albums ranked by reissues and demand.
Awakening
Sonny Fortune
1975
Horizon
Waves Of Dreams
Sonny Fortune
1976
Horizon
Great Friends
Sonny Fortune - Billy Harper - Stanley Cowell - Reggie Workman - Billy Hart
1987
Black And Blue
Timeline
Key Sonny Fortune studio albums by decade, with the labels and styles that define each period.
| Decade | Key albums | Labels | Styles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s |
| Prestige | Soul-Jazz |
| 1970s |
| Strata-East, Horizon, Atlantic | Modal, Post Bop, Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Rock |
| 1980s |
| Black And Blue, DRG Records | Bop, Contemporary Jazz |
| 1990s |
| Konnex Records, Verve Records, Blue Note | Bop, Post Bop, Latin Jazz |
| 2000s |
| Shanachie, Sound Reason, 18th & Vine | Post Bop, Spiritual Jazz, Bop |
| 2010s |
| Whynot | Post Bop |
Albums by Style
Top albums grouped by style.
Post Bop
Awakening
Sonny Fortune
1975
Horizon
In The Spirit Of John Coltrane
Sonny Fortune
2000
Shanachie
Sound Of Sounds
Sonny Fortune Quartet
1998
Live At EJ's
Continuum
Sonny Fortune
2003
Sound Reason
Bop
Laying It Down
Sonny Fortune
1991
Konnex Records
You And The Night And The Music
Sonny Fortune
2007
18th & Vine
Modal
Waves Of Dreams
Sonny Fortune
1976
Horizon
Similar Artists
Artists with similar styles and catalogs.
Sonny Fortune Discography
Sonny Fortune studio albums as leader and sideman.
Total: 122 releases
| Artist | Album | Label | Leader/Sideman | Style | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Hunter, Sonny Fortune | Trip On The Strip | Prestige | Leader | Soul-Jazz | 1966 |
| Stan Hunter, Sonny Fortune | Corn Flakes / Trip On The Strip | Prestige | Leader | 1966 | |
| Mongo Santamaria | Soul Bag | Columbia | Sideman | Soul | 1968 |
| Mongo Santamaria | Workin' On A Groovy Thing | Columbia | Sideman | Afro-Cuban | 1969 |
| George Benson | Tell It Like It Is | A&M Records | Sideman | Soul | 1969 |
| Mongo Santamaria | Stone Soul | Columbia | Sideman | Afro-Cuban | 1969 |
| George Benson | The Other Side Of Abbey Road | A&M Records | Sideman | Soul-Jazz | 1970 |
| Clydie King | Direct Me | Lizard | Sideman | Soul | 1970 |
| David Young | David Young | Mainstream Records | Sideman | Post Bop | 1971 |
| Richard Roundtree | The Man From Shaft | MGM Records | Sideman | Soul-Jazz | 1972 |
| McCoy Tyner | Sahara | Milestone | Sideman | Post Bop | 1972 |
| Roy Ayers Ubiquity | He's Coming | Polydor | Sideman | Soul-Jazz | 1972 |
| Leon Spencer, Jr. | Bad Walking Woman | Prestige | Sideman | Jazz-Funk | 1972 |
| Melvin Sparks | Akilah! | Prestige | Sideman | Soul | 1972 |
| Leon Spencer, Jr. | Where I'm Coming From | Prestige | Sideman | Soul-Jazz | 1973 |
| Alphonse Mouzon | The Essence Of Mystery | Blue Note | Sideman | Fusion | 1973 |
| McCoy Tyner | Song Of The New World | Milestone | Sideman | Modal | 1973 |
| McCoy Tyner | Song For My Lady | Milestone | Sideman | 1973 | |
| Roy Ayers Ubiquity | Red Black & Green | Polydor | Sideman | Jazz-Funk | 1973 |
| Pharoah Sanders | Izipho Zam (My Gifts) | Strata-East | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1973 |
Sonny Fortune Collaborations
Players they worked with most often, as leader and as sideman.
As Leader
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Billy Hart | Drums | 6 |
| Wayne Dockery | Bass | 4 |
| Charles Sullivan | Trumpet | 3 |
| Buster Williams | Bass | 3 |
| Santi Debriano | Bass | 3 |
| Ronnie Burrage | Drums | 3 |
| Kenny Barron | Piano | 3 |
| Steve Johns | Drums | 3 |
| Chip Lyles | Drums | 2 |
| John Snyder | Creative Director | 2 |
As Sideman
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| James Mtume | Percussion | 9 |
| Miles Davis | Organ | 9 |
| Miles Davis | Trumpet | 9 |
| Al Foster | Drums | 8 |
| Hubert Laws | Flute | 7 |
| Alphonse Mouzon | Drums | 7 |
| Pete Cosey | Guitar | 7 |
| Pete Cosey | Percussion | 7 |
| Reggie Lucas | Guitar | 7 |
| Elvin Jones | Drums | 7 |
Styles & Genres Distribution
Style and genre mix across their releases.
Styles
| Style | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Post Bop | 25 | 12.2% |
| Jazz-Funk | 23 | 11.2% |
| Fusion | 19 | 9.3% |
| Soul-Jazz | 16 | 7.8% |
| Modal | 14 | 6.8% |
| Hard Bop | 12 | 5.9% |
| Jazz-Rock | 11 | 5.4% |
| Bop | 10 | 4.9% |
| Funk | 9 | 4.4% |
| Free Jazz | 9 | 4.4% |
Genres
| Genre | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | 115 | 56.1% |
| Funk / Soul | 25 | 12.2% |
| Latin | 8 | 3.9% |
| Rock | 4 | 2% |
| Folk, World, & Country | 3 | 1.5% |
| Reggae | 1 | 0.5% |
| Pop | 1 | 0.5% |
| Classical | 1 | 0.5% |
| Electronic | 1 | 0.5% |
| Hip Hop | 1 | 0.5% |
Top Labels
Labels with the most releases in their catalog.
| Label | Releases |
|---|---|
| Prestige | 10 |
| Blue Note | 10 |
| Columbia | 10 |
| Atlantic | 9 |
| Enja Records | 9 |
| Strata-East | 6 |
| A&M Records | 6 |
| Milestone | 6 |
| Polydor | 6 |
| Velvel | 6 |
Key Personnel
Frequent producers, engineers, and studio credits.
| Person | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Various | Leader | 14 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Engineer | 10 |
| Manfred Schiek | Producer | 4 |
| Bret Primack | Liner Notes | 4 |
| Elliot Meadow | Liner Notes | 4 |
| George Piros | Lacquer Cut By | 4 |
| Teo Macero | Producer | 4 |
| Miles Davis | Leader | 4 |
| Raymond Silva | Producer | 3 |
| Marty Khan | Producer | 3 |