The Berlin-based ACT label has just made a surprising announcement, that a duo album from two Americans, trumpeter Theo Croker and pianist Sullivan Fortner, will be released on the label at the end of October.

The story here is that for some time ACT has had a close relationship with Theo Croker. He was part of the French-US sextet with Emile Parisien which recorded the album “Louise” in Amiens. He has also taken part in concerts in the Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic series – notably a Miles Davis tribute. ACT invited him to do “something special” for the label, essentially different from the hip-hop and genre-crossing music that he releases on his own label…something more “jazz-jazz…puristic… instrumental”. Theo Croker responded to the ACT team that he was keen to record as a duo with his good friend Sullivan Fortner…the two are just one year apart in age, and were both students at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio…and the recording duly happened.

The excitement which the label team communicate about the surprise they are about to unleash is palpable. The announcement starts at [52:13] of the May 2025 “ACT and Friends” show on One Jazz – listen via the links below.

from https://ukjazznews.com