Born (in 1939) and raised in Philadelphia, Sonny Fortune was singing doo-wop in the 1950s before his interest in jazz was ignited listening to Davis and Coltrane. "I realized (jazz) was incredible. One of the things that excited me about it was, first off, I couldn't figure it out. I didn't like it. But I saw something in it that made me stop in my tracks ... and I started listening to it intensely until I understood it." He moved to New York in 1967, where he was mentored by Elvin Jones. After gigging with Jones, he worked with Mongo Santamaria, McCoy Tyner, Buddy Rich, and Miles Davis, developing his chops on clarinet, flute, tenor, and baritone in addition to alto sax.

In the mid-70s Sonny made two acclaimed recordings for A&M as a leader that marked the beginning of a highly regarded discography. In particular his three Blue Note releases from the 90s—of original and others’ compositions, from duo to septet formats—received critical raves. In addition to his own groups, he has continued as a featured performer with other bands, including the Nat Adderley Quartet, Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine, and the Coltrane Legacy Band of the late 80s. Over the past decade, Sonny Fortune has headlined national and international jazz festivals, recorded film soundtracks, appeared in tribute concerts for John Coltrane and Elvin Jones, and generally just keeps on burning from one tour to another, and in and out of the recording studio.

Sonny Fortune most recently appeared at the old Dakota location in St. Paul with Frank Morgan in 2003. For this gig he teams up with a stellar rhythm section featuring resident bass extraordinaire Anthony Cox, veteran drummer Steve Johns, and the ultimate of keyboard elegance, John Hicks. Individually, each of these musicians is a headliner; together, it will be a memorable, swinging evening.

Said Howard Mandel, "Of all of Trane's lasting contributions, perhaps the greatest to the future of improvised music was his example of spiritual integrity and physical drive. Sonny blows with both."