Timeline
20 events▣ Album 17◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1
1930s
1960s
· Debut release
Debut release: Horizons
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography558 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1357481571
Biography
Ira Sullivan (May 1, 1931 – September 21, 2020) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist, and composer born in Washington, D.C., United States. An active musician since the 1950s, he often worked with Red Rodney and Lin Halliday.
Biography
Sullivan was born May 1, 1931, in Washington, D.C. His father taught him to play the trumpet beginning at age 31⁄2, and his mother taught him saxophone. He played in 1950s Chicago with such musicians as Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Wardell Gray and Roy Eldridge, gaining a reputation as a fearsome bebop soloist. After playing briefly with Art Blakey in 1956, and mastering alto and baritone saxophone, Sullivan moved south to Florida and out of the spotlight in the early 1960s.
His reluctance to travel limited his opportunities to play with musicians of the first rank, but Sullivan continued to play in the Miami area, often in schools and churches. Contact with local younger players such as Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny led to teaching and to a broadening of his own musical roots to include the stylings of John Coltrane's jazz.
With the addition of flute and soprano saxophone to his performing range, Sullivan moved to New York, and in 1980 formed a quintet with bop trumpeter Red Rodney. Sullivan and Rodney worked on new material and fostered young talent.
Sullivan and his longtime friend and collaborator Stu Katz, jazz pianist and vibraphonist, co-led a multi-night performance with Katz at Joe Segal's The Jazz Showcase in Chicago. A live recording of some of those performances, A Family Affair: Live At Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase, was released in 2011.
Sullivan taught at the Young Musicians Camp each summer at the University of Miami.
Ira Sullivan died September 21, 2020, of metastatic pancreatic cancer in his Miami home at age 89.
Ira Sullivan's musical signature was "Amazing Grace", the tune with which he closed every performance for decades. In the week following Sullivan's death, the jazz community produced a Love Letter to Ira Sullivan, a compilation of more than 40 performances of "Amazing Grace".
As leader
Blue Stroll (Delmark, 1961)
Bird Lives! (Vee-Jay, 1963)
Horizons (Atlantic, 1967)
Nicky's Tune (Delmark, 1970)
Ira Sullivan (Horizon, 1976)
Ira Sullivan (Flying Fish, 1978)
Peace (Galaxy, 1978)
The Incredible Ira Sullivan (Stash, 1980)
Multimedia (Galaxy, 1982)
Ira Sullivan Does It All (Muse, 1983)
Strings Attached (Pausa, 1983)
The Breeze and I with Joe Diorio (Ram, 1994)
After Hours (Go Jazz, 2000)
A Family Affair with Stu Katz (Origin, 2011)
As sideman
With Art Blakey
Originally (Columbia, 1956 [1982])
With Frank Catalano
Cut It Out (Delmark, 1997)
With Red Garland
Red Alert (Galaxy, 1977)
With Lin Halliday
Delayed Exposure (Delmark, 1991)
East of the Sun (Delmark, 1992)
With Eddie Harris
Come on Down (Atlantic, 1970)
With Philly Joe Jones
Philly Mignon (Galaxy, 1977)
With Roland Kirk
Introducing Roland Kirk (Argo, 1960)
With Roberto Magris
Sun Stone - Roberto Magris Sextet feat. Ira Sullivan (JMood, 2019)
With J. R. Monterose
J. R. Monterose (Blue Note, 1956)
With Rita Reys
The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (Columbia, 1956)
With Red Rodney
Live at the Village Vanguard (Muse, 1980)
Hi Jinx at the Vanguard (Muse, 1980 [1984])
Alive in New York (Muse, 1980 [1986])
Night and Day (Muse, 1981)
Spirit Within (Musician,1982)
With Billy Taylor
The Billy Taylor Trio Introduces Ira Sullivan (ABC-Paramount, 1956)
With Brad Goode
Toy Trumpet (SteepleChase, 2000)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 12 | 64.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 20 | 87.1th |
| Studio albums | 19 | 96.2th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 20 | 93.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 52 | 92.5th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (20 release groups · 19 studio albums)
Albums · 19
1967 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 41:24
A1E Flat Tuba G4:59A2Norwegian Wood5:07A3Everything Happens to Me5:47A4Adah4:57B1Horizons8:26B2Oh Gee!3:16B3Nineveh8:521976 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 42:34
1Old Hundreth0:352Jitterbug Waltz6:323Purples, Violets and Blues4:464Portrait Of Sal Larosa7:345Finlandia0:556Dove6:237Slightly Arched-Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most13:268My Reverie2:231978 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 39:21
1Strut9:282Anthropology7:253Multimedia4:464Painted Ladies (A Confiscated Bolero)9:235Autumn Leaves8:191979 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 37:24
1I Get a Kick Out of You4:232Send in the Clowns7:353Gong6:034Vento Bravo10:045Peace9:191980 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 43:59
1Lonely Moments4:492Our Delight5:403Bernie's Tune4:474Kim's Lament6:115I Can't Get Out of This Mood7:406On the Seventh Day7:417Satin Doll7:111982 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks
A1Sophisticated YentaA2King of FranceA3Spirit WithinB1Island SongB2Monday's DanceB3Crescent City1983 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 37:54
1Sovereign Court3:272More I See You3:493Prelude to a Kiss4:374Together3:505Amazing Grace3:506Central Park West7:337Dolphin Dance10:48Ira Sullivan / Strings Attached
1983 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 33:43
A1Our Love and Spirit4:38A2Late Nights5:37A3Looking Glass Falls4:59B1The Kingdom Within You6:05B2Ballad4:28B3Wonderful Sound7:561986 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 39:17
A1Gulfstream4:35A2Wasn't It a Grand Affair3:01A3Bossa for Bella6:24A41106:31B1'Round Midnite7:51B2Talla Sunshine Naime Rainbow, Dance for Their Father7:01B3Impressions3:541991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 53:25
1Cheryl5:302Waltz for Debby7:513I Waited for You5:494Tough Town8:295The Dolphin6:056Shades of Light7:087Town Sound / She'd Be So Nice to Come Home To12:331993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:05:36
1Klacktoveedsteene8:312Fly Me to the Moon6:143Shaw 'Nuff2:264Perhaps6:055Love Letters5:086Mohawk8:317Si, Si15:168Be-Bop / Humpty Dumpty13:251994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:00:41
1Street Of Dreams8:372My Shining Hour6:173Sophisticated Lady9:304Dear Old Stockholm9:075Where Or When7:206Over The Rainbow6:387The More I See Of You5:478Pent-Up House7:251994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 44:31
1My Secret Love8:442When Sunny Gets Blue5:163Nicky's Tune #39:024Wilbur's Tune #28:025Mock and Roll Blues4:566Nicky's Tune #28:311999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 53:58
1Wilbur's Tune6:032My Old Flame6:403Blue Stroll5:52463rd Street Theme7:245Bluzinbee19:466Wilbur's Theme (Alt.)8:132000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:00:58
1It Was a Very Good Year6:152Dear Old Stockholm7:423Monday's Dance8:004Con Alma7:445Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most9:006Day by Day8:047Ira's Blues6:518Key Largo7:222013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 39:29
1How Do You Know7:202As Time Goes By7:193Sprint7:284My Sone, the Minstrel5:505Speak Like a Child11:322019 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 1:06:33
1Sun Stone (Magris)9:342Innamorati a Milano (Remigi)9:233Planet of Love (Magris)7:564Maliblues (Magris)11:005Beauty Is Forever (Magris)7:456Look at the Stars (Magris)11:247Sun Stone II (Magris)9:31— · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 44:42
1A1 Wonderful One4:552A2 The Boy Next Door6:433A3 Gina Christine6:004A4 My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice5:305B1 Rashid5:086B2 Horns Of Di Lama8:297B3 You My Love3:188B4 Wonderful One4:39— · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 35:38
1Klacktoveedesedsteene8:162In Other Words6:003Highlights of Show'Nuff2:204Perhaps5:525Love Letters4:566Highlights of Mohawk8:14
Album · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | A Family Affair: Live at Joe Segal's Jazz ShowcaseSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracks · 1:10:451Blues Two Views7:54 2Gee, Matthew11:41 3Pennies From Heaven9:09 4Scrapple From the Apple7:01 5Lullaby of the Leaves9:04 6Yesterdays7:46 7Take the "A" Train9:31 8Stablemates6:55 9What a Friend We Have in Jesus1:44 | Live | 2011 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Ira Sullivan head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 12 | 64.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 20 | 87.1th |
| Studio albums | 19 | 96.2th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 20 | 93.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 52 | 92.5th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strings Attached(band) | — | present | alto flute,flugelhorn,flute,trumpet |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rich_Matteson%2C_Red_Rodney%2C_Ira_Sullivan.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1c6ef3f5-a5b8-4cb5-a9fc-9026fc4bb557discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1c6ef3f5-a5b8-4cb5-a9fc-9026fc4bb557core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1672333genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1672333seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Sullivanbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Sullivan
Why this artist is in the database
- List of jazz musicians
Tier rule: genre canon: jazz
Image: Laura Kolb Satellite Beach, Fl.- Taos,N.M., USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q1672333 · MusicBrainz: 1c6ef3f5-a5b8-4cb5-a9fc-9026fc4bb557
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