Full Article Text
M U SIC : SEAN MASON Q U AR T E T S W INGS A T
T HE SIDE DOOR JA ZZ CL U B
T he ris in g ja zz s t a r S ea n M a son is a s e rious (a n d s e riousl y e nt e rt ai n in g ) ta le nt .
MAR 16, 2025
3 S ha re
Sean Mason Quartet on March 14, 2025 *** 1/2 out of ****
Side Door Jazz Club at the Old Lyme Inn , Lyme CT
THE ARTIST AND THE CONCERT
Everything you want to hear from a new talent was on display by the Sean Mason
Quartet Friday night at the Side Door jazz club. The music they've already recorded?
It's stretched out and stronger in performance. New tunes for an upcoming album?
You want to hear them again, soon. A standard to demonstrate their chops? "On The
Sunny Side of The Street" with lyrics by Dorothy Fields and music by Jimmy McHugh
(or perhaps Fats Waller) checked that box as well. As my introduction to Sean Mason
in concert and the Side Door as a venue, this concert was ideal.
Sean Mason wasn't on my radar before this show. I didn't hear a lot of new jazz in
2024, I realize. I've been working my way through jazz classics given the highest rating
by the Penguin Guide To Jazz, not to mention a deep dive into ambient and my usual
diet of pop, rock, r&b, folk, blues and the like. Which sheepishly explains why my list
of the best music of 2024 includes just one pure jazz album: McCoy Tyner & Joe
Henderson's Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs.
Missing on my annual roundup? Sean Mason's first Grammy-nominated album. Titled
My Ideal, it's a piano and vocal collaboration with singer Catherine Russell . When a
friend said he wanted to hear some live music, Sean Mason's gig was an option so I
started to explore his work. My Ideal? It's excellent, a wonderful work (my favorite of
Russell's so far) with she and Mason in deep sympathy. Not many pianists can provide
strong accompaniment to a singer and lead convincingly on their own. Mason can. I've
MICHAEL GIL TZ
1
T yp e y our e m ai l . . .S u b s c r ibe3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 1/6
added My Ideal to my list of the best albums of 2024 found on my best of all time list, a
record of my favorite music for every year from 1924 to the present.
But My Ideal is just one of two albums he released in 2024. The other is Chrome Valley, a
collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center's first poet in residence, Mahogany L.
Browne. A writer with a serious body of work behind her, Browne has been a driving
force for many years at the spoken word capital of the world, the Nuyorican Poets
Café. Their album draws from her 2023 collection of the same name, combining
spoken word passages underscored by Mason with full-bodied arrangements for
poems turned into song.
And back in 2023, Sean Mason Quartet released its first album, The Southern Suite, an
ambitious work that offers serious intent without sacrificing melodies that swing.
Heady, but always ready to keep bodies swaying and toes tapping.
This just scratches the surface of his work so far, since Mason has been doing his
homework by soaking up experiences, enjoying the mentorship of both Branford and
Wynton Marsalis and pretty much tackling any opportunity he can. Mason toured as
part of a jazz tribute to the songs of Disney. (As producer/impresario Hal Willner
proved with the tribute album Stay Awake, those songs are a rich body of work.) He
played on the soundtrack for the HBO film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, an assignment
that included Branford's request that Mason purge himself of any influences beyond
the 1920s for his playing of the score. Mason toured with Catherine Russell as part of
Catherine Russell, Sean Mason - My Ideal (Official Video)Catherine Russell, Sean Mason - My Ideal (Official Video)
A lr ead y ha v e a n acc ount ? S ig n inD is c o v e r mor e fr om M ichae l G iltz
D ile tt a nt e , pr o g re ss iv e , pr o f e ss ion a l a m a te ur
E nt e r y our e m ai l . . .
S u b s c r ibe
B y su b s c ribi n g , I ag ree to S u b st ack 's T e rms o f U s e , a n d
ack nowl edge its In form a tion C oll ec tion N ot ice a n d P riv ac y P ol3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 2/6
her band before they recorded as a duo. He's even played in the pit (I think!) on
Broadway shows like Hadestown and Phantom of the Opera.
Mason's desire to soak up experience pays off in concert. He's onstage with musicians
he mostly befriended at Juilliard and their pleasure in each other's company is
winning. All eyes are on Mason for their cues, their turn at bat. And their joy in
performing is clear, from the loopy grin on the face of bassist Felix Moseholm to the
intense concentration of drummer Domo Branch and the mock frustration of
trumpeter Tony Glausi , who has fun pretending an occasional look of consternation
when Mason delivers an especially knotty bit of playing or isn't quite ready to let Tony
back into the number. (All three of them have substantial bodies of work you can
explore on their websites.)
The opener "One United" set the tone, taking the centerpiece of their debut album
Southern Suite and stretching it out to twice its 10+min length. Throughout, the
musicians toy and tease with each other, sharing musical ideas, venturing into new
territory and essentially having a blast. When Moseholm wanders into a cul de sac and
finds himself trapped at one point in the show, the others laugh good-naturedly and
then nod encouragement as the bassist works his way back out again. Here's the band
on "Closure," also from The Southern Suite but not a number they did on Friday.
Other tunes like "Secrets" and another from their upcoming album whose title
escaped me were just as compelling. Mason joked they didn't play anything less than
Sean Mason – CLOSURE (From "The Southern Suite")Sean Mason – CLOSURE (From "The Southern Suite")3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 3/6
30 minutes, yet the intense focus and creative inspiration needed to maintain one song
for 30 minutes in concert is easily within their grasp.
Their sound ranged from the probing rigor of 1950s Miles Davis to the raucous rush of
a sweaty club in New Orleans. Mason had the authoritative, dignified reserve of
Wynton when addressing the audience and the showmanship of Branford when at the
piano. He bounced and swung and immersed himself in the melodies, just as happy to
dig into a soulful groove as to improvise on a discordant riff that caught his fancy. My
guest was especially wowed by Mason's facility, how he'd tinkle the ivories way up at
one end of the piano with his right hand while striding through a complex
counterpoint with the left. Flashy? Showy? Sure, but always in service of the tune.
It all came together on the finale, that 1930 stalwart "On The Sunny Side Of The
Street." Perhaps this was the tune they workshopped that afternoon and then
performed for the first time that Friday, a jazz tradition Mason proudly continues of
always learning new pieces from the songbook. If so, other audiences are cheated not
to hear it too. They broke the tune down, swung it hard and then built it back up again
without ever losing the infectious melody and rhythm that's made it a favorite of jazz
greats ever since. It's very, very early days, but Mason is working towards perhaps
joining them. How often do you see a new act and think, "Wow, they are the real
deal"? Not often.
Sean Mason is on tour and his next three gigs encapsulate the journey he's on and the
versatility of his playing. On March 29, he's performing with Catherine Russell at the
Savannah Music Festival, offering a live performance of their excellent album. On
April 11, the Sean Mason Quartet has a date at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
(Tickets are just $20 for adults and $10 for students and youth, which is a serious
bargain.) And on April 19, Mason solos on piano at the Vermont Jazz Center in
Brattleboro.
THE VENUE
This was my first time at the Side Door jazz club . It looks like a venue that proved a
welcome afterthought to the Old Lyme Inn. But in fact, it's co-owner told me
(unawares I was reviewing the show) that in fact her husband really, really wanted a
jazz club. (Indeed he was an exuberant master of ceremonies when introducing the
band, which gigged there even before their debut album came out.) So when they
bought the property, she said, "I guess we're in the inn business now, too." The
concert space is essentially a long narrow rectangle, with seating stretching out in3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 4/6
front of the stage on both sides, with a few extra seats a little deeper at the center.
You'd be hard pressed to find a bad seat, even if the place was full.
We sat at the bar which is stage right and enjoyed an excellent view over Mason's
shoulder, with a direct line of sight to the rest of the band and their laser focus on the
pianist. Side Door certainly isn't a big venue so if you're really set on observing a
particular musician, arriving half an hour early is advisable. Also, one bartender is
working hard to serve everyone; so that's another reason not to show up a few minutes
before the set and feel annoyed when your drink takes a while to arrive.
We also ate at the Old Lyme Inn, which was an upscale but not wildly expensive
evening out. They recommended anyone going to a show at 8 pm should book their
dinner for 6 pm. That makes sense if you plan to linger, enjoy a drink before dinner
and coffee and/or dessert afterwards. If, like us, you're simply there to dine and dash,
6:30 proved perfectly fine for getting to the club at 7:40, easily. However, they strongly
urge you to book two hours before the show or they don't guarantee you'll be done in
time, so what do I know?
Up next at Side Door? Grammy winning New Orleans trumpeter (and multi-
instrumentalist) Nicholas Payton plays on March 22 and March 23.
Tickets were provided by the venue with the understanding a timely review would be written .
Dinner, however, was on my guest. Thanks, TJ!
THEATER CONCERTS I'VE ATTENDED IN 2025
1. A Guide For The Homesick ** out of ****
2. Still (w Melissa Gilbert at Sheen) **
3. A Streetcar Named Desire (Paul Mescal at BAM) **
4. Sean Mason Quartet at Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT *** 1/2
T ha n k s for readi n g ! S u b s c ribe for free t o
recei v e n e w post s a n d support m y w or k .
1 L ik eT yp e y our e m ai l . . .S u b s c r ibe
3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 5/6
T HE SIDE DOOR JA ZZ CL U B
T he ris in g ja zz s t a r S ea n M a son is a s e rious (a n d s e riousl y e nt e rt ai n in g ) ta le nt .
MAR 16, 2025
3 S ha re
Sean Mason Quartet on March 14, 2025 *** 1/2 out of ****
Side Door Jazz Club at the Old Lyme Inn , Lyme CT
THE ARTIST AND THE CONCERT
Everything you want to hear from a new talent was on display by the Sean Mason
Quartet Friday night at the Side Door jazz club. The music they've already recorded?
It's stretched out and stronger in performance. New tunes for an upcoming album?
You want to hear them again, soon. A standard to demonstrate their chops? "On The
Sunny Side of The Street" with lyrics by Dorothy Fields and music by Jimmy McHugh
(or perhaps Fats Waller) checked that box as well. As my introduction to Sean Mason
in concert and the Side Door as a venue, this concert was ideal.
Sean Mason wasn't on my radar before this show. I didn't hear a lot of new jazz in
2024, I realize. I've been working my way through jazz classics given the highest rating
by the Penguin Guide To Jazz, not to mention a deep dive into ambient and my usual
diet of pop, rock, r&b, folk, blues and the like. Which sheepishly explains why my list
of the best music of 2024 includes just one pure jazz album: McCoy Tyner & Joe
Henderson's Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs.
Missing on my annual roundup? Sean Mason's first Grammy-nominated album. Titled
My Ideal, it's a piano and vocal collaboration with singer Catherine Russell . When a
friend said he wanted to hear some live music, Sean Mason's gig was an option so I
started to explore his work. My Ideal? It's excellent, a wonderful work (my favorite of
Russell's so far) with she and Mason in deep sympathy. Not many pianists can provide
strong accompaniment to a singer and lead convincingly on their own. Mason can. I've
MICHAEL GIL TZ
1
T yp e y our e m ai l . . .S u b s c r ibe3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 1/6
added My Ideal to my list of the best albums of 2024 found on my best of all time list, a
record of my favorite music for every year from 1924 to the present.
But My Ideal is just one of two albums he released in 2024. The other is Chrome Valley, a
collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center's first poet in residence, Mahogany L.
Browne. A writer with a serious body of work behind her, Browne has been a driving
force for many years at the spoken word capital of the world, the Nuyorican Poets
Café. Their album draws from her 2023 collection of the same name, combining
spoken word passages underscored by Mason with full-bodied arrangements for
poems turned into song.
And back in 2023, Sean Mason Quartet released its first album, The Southern Suite, an
ambitious work that offers serious intent without sacrificing melodies that swing.
Heady, but always ready to keep bodies swaying and toes tapping.
This just scratches the surface of his work so far, since Mason has been doing his
homework by soaking up experiences, enjoying the mentorship of both Branford and
Wynton Marsalis and pretty much tackling any opportunity he can. Mason toured as
part of a jazz tribute to the songs of Disney. (As producer/impresario Hal Willner
proved with the tribute album Stay Awake, those songs are a rich body of work.) He
played on the soundtrack for the HBO film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, an assignment
that included Branford's request that Mason purge himself of any influences beyond
the 1920s for his playing of the score. Mason toured with Catherine Russell as part of
Catherine Russell, Sean Mason - My Ideal (Official Video)Catherine Russell, Sean Mason - My Ideal (Official Video)
A lr ead y ha v e a n acc ount ? S ig n inD is c o v e r mor e fr om M ichae l G iltz
D ile tt a nt e , pr o g re ss iv e , pr o f e ss ion a l a m a te ur
E nt e r y our e m ai l . . .
S u b s c r ibe
B y su b s c ribi n g , I ag ree to S u b st ack 's T e rms o f U s e , a n d
ack nowl edge its In form a tion C oll ec tion N ot ice a n d P riv ac y P ol3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 2/6
her band before they recorded as a duo. He's even played in the pit (I think!) on
Broadway shows like Hadestown and Phantom of the Opera.
Mason's desire to soak up experience pays off in concert. He's onstage with musicians
he mostly befriended at Juilliard and their pleasure in each other's company is
winning. All eyes are on Mason for their cues, their turn at bat. And their joy in
performing is clear, from the loopy grin on the face of bassist Felix Moseholm to the
intense concentration of drummer Domo Branch and the mock frustration of
trumpeter Tony Glausi , who has fun pretending an occasional look of consternation
when Mason delivers an especially knotty bit of playing or isn't quite ready to let Tony
back into the number. (All three of them have substantial bodies of work you can
explore on their websites.)
The opener "One United" set the tone, taking the centerpiece of their debut album
Southern Suite and stretching it out to twice its 10+min length. Throughout, the
musicians toy and tease with each other, sharing musical ideas, venturing into new
territory and essentially having a blast. When Moseholm wanders into a cul de sac and
finds himself trapped at one point in the show, the others laugh good-naturedly and
then nod encouragement as the bassist works his way back out again. Here's the band
on "Closure," also from The Southern Suite but not a number they did on Friday.
Other tunes like "Secrets" and another from their upcoming album whose title
escaped me were just as compelling. Mason joked they didn't play anything less than
Sean Mason – CLOSURE (From "The Southern Suite")Sean Mason – CLOSURE (From "The Southern Suite")3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 3/6
30 minutes, yet the intense focus and creative inspiration needed to maintain one song
for 30 minutes in concert is easily within their grasp.
Their sound ranged from the probing rigor of 1950s Miles Davis to the raucous rush of
a sweaty club in New Orleans. Mason had the authoritative, dignified reserve of
Wynton when addressing the audience and the showmanship of Branford when at the
piano. He bounced and swung and immersed himself in the melodies, just as happy to
dig into a soulful groove as to improvise on a discordant riff that caught his fancy. My
guest was especially wowed by Mason's facility, how he'd tinkle the ivories way up at
one end of the piano with his right hand while striding through a complex
counterpoint with the left. Flashy? Showy? Sure, but always in service of the tune.
It all came together on the finale, that 1930 stalwart "On The Sunny Side Of The
Street." Perhaps this was the tune they workshopped that afternoon and then
performed for the first time that Friday, a jazz tradition Mason proudly continues of
always learning new pieces from the songbook. If so, other audiences are cheated not
to hear it too. They broke the tune down, swung it hard and then built it back up again
without ever losing the infectious melody and rhythm that's made it a favorite of jazz
greats ever since. It's very, very early days, but Mason is working towards perhaps
joining them. How often do you see a new act and think, "Wow, they are the real
deal"? Not often.
Sean Mason is on tour and his next three gigs encapsulate the journey he's on and the
versatility of his playing. On March 29, he's performing with Catherine Russell at the
Savannah Music Festival, offering a live performance of their excellent album. On
April 11, the Sean Mason Quartet has a date at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
(Tickets are just $20 for adults and $10 for students and youth, which is a serious
bargain.) And on April 19, Mason solos on piano at the Vermont Jazz Center in
Brattleboro.
THE VENUE
This was my first time at the Side Door jazz club . It looks like a venue that proved a
welcome afterthought to the Old Lyme Inn. But in fact, it's co-owner told me
(unawares I was reviewing the show) that in fact her husband really, really wanted a
jazz club. (Indeed he was an exuberant master of ceremonies when introducing the
band, which gigged there even before their debut album came out.) So when they
bought the property, she said, "I guess we're in the inn business now, too." The
concert space is essentially a long narrow rectangle, with seating stretching out in3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 4/6
front of the stage on both sides, with a few extra seats a little deeper at the center.
You'd be hard pressed to find a bad seat, even if the place was full.
We sat at the bar which is stage right and enjoyed an excellent view over Mason's
shoulder, with a direct line of sight to the rest of the band and their laser focus on the
pianist. Side Door certainly isn't a big venue so if you're really set on observing a
particular musician, arriving half an hour early is advisable. Also, one bartender is
working hard to serve everyone; so that's another reason not to show up a few minutes
before the set and feel annoyed when your drink takes a while to arrive.
We also ate at the Old Lyme Inn, which was an upscale but not wildly expensive
evening out. They recommended anyone going to a show at 8 pm should book their
dinner for 6 pm. That makes sense if you plan to linger, enjoy a drink before dinner
and coffee and/or dessert afterwards. If, like us, you're simply there to dine and dash,
6:30 proved perfectly fine for getting to the club at 7:40, easily. However, they strongly
urge you to book two hours before the show or they don't guarantee you'll be done in
time, so what do I know?
Up next at Side Door? Grammy winning New Orleans trumpeter (and multi-
instrumentalist) Nicholas Payton plays on March 22 and March 23.
Tickets were provided by the venue with the understanding a timely review would be written .
Dinner, however, was on my guest. Thanks, TJ!
THEATER CONCERTS I'VE ATTENDED IN 2025
1. A Guide For The Homesick ** out of ****
2. Still (w Melissa Gilbert at Sheen) **
3. A Streetcar Named Desire (Paul Mescal at BAM) **
4. Sean Mason Quartet at Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT *** 1/2
T ha n k s for readi n g ! S u b s c ribe for free t o
recei v e n e w post s a n d support m y w or k .
1 L ik eT yp e y our e m ai l . . .S u b s c r ibe
3/17/25, 9:42 PM MUSIC: SEAN MASON QUARTET SWINGS AT THE SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/music-sean-maso n-quartet-swings-at 5/6