PS21 is excited to welcome pianist/composer Sean Mason and his quintet to Pathways 2022. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean has lived in New York City since 2017, where he is a Jazz at Lincoln Center Emerging Artist, leading his own ensemble and working as a much sought-after sideman.
He has been featured in Ellington Through the Ages with Wynton Marsalis and in Danny Barker: A New Orleans Life in Jazz, alongside a who’s who of New Orleans’ musical elite. At PS21, Sean will be joined by the stellar members of his quintet, Felix Moseholm, Domo Branch, Tony Glausi, and Abdias Armenteros in a performance of selections from three of his compositions: The Southern Suite, The Migration Suite, and, his most recent—and timely—The Recovery Suite.
As a thirteen-year-old musical prodigy in Charlotte, Sean Mason taught himself to play piano by ear. At that time, his roots were in gospel, hip-hop, and R&B, but he changed direction when he discovered jazz. After several years at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the Juilliard School, Sean established himself in the New York City jazz scene, performing and touring with Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Herlin Riley, among many other jazz legends, while also collaborating with R&B and soul artists such as Masego, Roy Blair, and Kenneth Whalum. Noted for his fluent mastery of multiple musical styles, spanning genres and generations, his most intimate expressions are his own music, which he performs with his ensembles the Sean Mason Trio and Quintet. Sean has also worked in film and theater, as the pianist for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) and “Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre” (The History Channel), in “Hadestown” and “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway, and as composer, orchestrator, and music director for numerous off-Broadway spaces.
June 10, 4–5 PM
Join the Sean Mason Quintet, a Jazz at Lincoln Center Emerging Artist, for a FREE workshop open to the entire community. Student musicians are invited to sit in and play alongside the quintet in a guided jam session with coaching from the artists. Sean Mason will also present his own music and discuss issues in jazz and improvisation. Students of all levels are welcome to bring an instrument and join in, or just observe and listen. All are welcome to attend the workshop for an up-close window into the creative process, with the brilliant young musicians of the Sean Mason Quintet.
Sean Mason piano / leader
Felix Moseholm bass
Domo Branch drums
Tony Glausi trumpet
Chris Lewis tenor saxophone
