Sultan Stevenson is one of the most compelling young voices in contemporary jazz to emerge from London in recent years, widely recognised for his emotional depth, compositional clarity, and quiet authority at the piano. His playing draws together modern jazz language, gospel inflection and lyrical restraint, marking him out as a musician of rare maturity and long-term vision.

  

A graduate of the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy, Tomorrow’s Warriors and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (class of 2023), Sultan was mentored by some of the UK’s most influential jazz figures, including Julian Joseph, Gary Crosby, Simon Purcell and Robert Mitchell. These foundations helped shape an artist deeply rooted in tradition while confidently pushing toward a personal and contemporary sound.

  

Emerging onto the scene in 2020, Sultan quickly distinguished himself through performances of his own music alongside longtime collaborators Jacob Gryn (bass) and Joel Waters (drums). Early appearances at leading London venues and festivals established his reputation, with The Telegraph describing him as “an incipient master at work,” noting his ability to expand the simplest ideas into something deeply expressive.

  

His debut album Faithful One (Whirlwind Recordings, 2023) received widespread critical acclaim and confirmed him as a leading figure of the new UK jazz generation. A sold-out launch at The Jazz Café became a landmark moment, followed by international touring and the 2023 Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Newcomer. Jazzwise praised the album for its warmth and poise, highlighting the reflective quality that has since become a hallmark of his writing.

  

Momentum continued through 2024, a breakthrough year that saw Sultan perform showcase sets at SXSW in Texas as part of Jazz re:freshed’s ‘Outernational’ programme, appear at jazzahead! in Germany, and deliver sold-out performances at major UK festivals including Cheltenham and Brick Lane. That summer, his trio embarked on their first dedicated European tour, performing across Poland, Spain, France and Switzerland, and earning praise from The Irish Times for a sound combining youthful vitality with seasoned composure.

  

In March 2025, Sultan released his second album El Roi on Edition Records, launched with a sold-out concert at the Southbank Centre. The album was widely praised for its emotional depth and modern sensibility, with Financial Times highlighting its modal voicings and gospel influences, and All About Jazz noting the strength of his storytelling across both trio and expanded ensemble settings. Later in June 2025 he went onto do a 10 date EU tour. He brought his trio to venues such as Unterfahrt in Munich, Germany aswell as Duc Des Lombards, Paris. Many of the stops on the tour were sold out!

  

Looking ahead, Sultan’s international presence continues to grow. In March 2026, he will return to Europe for a focused tour including performances at Fasching Jazz Club in Sweden, Leuven in Belgium, and LantarenVenster in the Netherlands. These dates mark the beginning of a new phase, pointing toward further touring, expanded collaborations and evolving musical directions through 2026 and beyond.

  

With major headline performances, international touring and critically acclaimed releases now firmly established, Sultan Stevenson stands at a pivotal moment in his artistic journey—an artist whose music continues to move forward with purpose, openness and a deep sense of personal truth..