Cory Weeds Meets Champian Fulton - Every Now And Then

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 48:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:53) 1. Boss Tutch
(5:15) 2. It's Alright with Me
(5:47) 3. Too Marvelous For Words
(4:21) 4. Linger In My Arms a Little Longer Baby
(5:32) 5. The Best Things In Life Are Free
(4:20) 6. Carry Me Back to Old Manhattan
(3:49) 7. That's Not Your Donut
(7:21) 8. Every Now & Then
(6:57) 9. The Snapper

Cory Weeds saxophonist with an expressive sound rooted in Jazz tradition, a label owner tirelessly documenting unsung Jazz heroes, one of Canada’s most important Jazz impresarios, the hardest-working man in Jazz business Cory Weeds is all of these things, and much more.

Weeds may be best known as the founder and owner of Cory Weeds’ Cellar Jazz Club in Vancouver, which he successfully ran for more than 14 years. Weeds built the Cellar to become one of North America’s best Jazz clubs, where masters such as George Coleman, Jeff Hamilton, Louis Hayes, David “Fathead” Newman, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and the finest Jazz musicians from Vancouver and across Canada and the U.S. performed before it closed in February 2014.

But he wasn’t just the club owner. As a saxophonist who studied at the University of North Texas and Capilano University, Weeds spent many nights on the Cellar bandstand as a leader and sideman. He held his own when performing with icons like Joey DeFrancesco and Christian McBride. Weeds has also recorded twenty albums as a leader, including his latest Home Cookin' Just Coolin' (with Tilden Webb, John Lee and Jesse Cahill), What Is There To Say? (with Phil Dwyer and a 12 piece string section), O Sole Mio (with Eric Alexander, Mike LeDonne, Peter Bernstein and Joe Farnsworth), Day By Day (with David Hazeltine, Ken Lister and Jesse Cahill), Live at Frankie’s (with Terell Stafford and Harold Mabern) Explosion (with Gary Smulyan, PJ Perry, Steve Davis and Joe Magnarelli), Let’s Groove (with Mike Ledonne), Dreamsville (with The Jeff Hamilton Trio), It’s Easy To Remember (with David Hazeltine, Joe Magnarelli, Paul Gill and Jason Tiemann, reached #1 on the Jazz Week Charts) This Happy Madness, (with The Jeff Hamilton Trio, reached #1 on the Jazz Week Charts), Condition Blue, The Music Of Jackie McLean (with Peter Bernstein, Mike LeDonne, and Joe Farnsworth)., As Of Now (with the Harold Mabern Trio), Let’s Go (with Steve Davis), the Juno-nominated Up A Step (Cory Weeds Quartet), With Benefits (with Lewis Nash and Peter Washington), Just Like That (with the Tilden Webb Trio), The Many Deeds of Cory Weeds (with Joey DeFrancesco), Everything’s Coming Up Weeds (with Jim Rotondi), and Big Weeds (with Peter Bernstein, Mike LeDonne, and Joe Farnsworth).

While the Cellar is now a happy memory, the record label Weeds established in 2001 is alive and well. Rebranded in 2018, The Cellar Music Group has put out over 350 recordings, including many that have spent extensive time on the JazzWeek charts, been reviewed in acclaimed print publications and been featured on NPR's Fresh Air. Weeds has also served as producer on more than 200recordings. In 2017 Weeds celebrated a win at the 2017 Juno Awards when Metalwood won for Jazz Album Of The Year: Group. Another Weeds-produced album w Brad Turner Quartet with guest Seamus Blake - Jump Up was nominated in 2019 and The Ostara Project in 2023.

2023 has been a watershed year for Weeds and the label. In March pf 2023 Weeds and the label were awarded a Grammy for The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra in the large ensemble category. Weeds was also recognized as a #2 Rising Star Producer in Downbeat Magazine and Cellar Music was #8 in Record Label Of The Year.
https://www.highresaudio.com/en/album/view/7mdjn6/cory-weeds-champian-fulton-every-now-and-then

Personnel: Cory Weeds – Alto Saxophone; Champian Fulton – Piano, Vocals

Every Now And Then

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Champian Fulton - Sometimes I'm Happy

Styles: Vocal, Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:27
Size: 131,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. When Your Lover Has Gone
(5:30)  2. Just Squeeze Me
(5:35)  3. Pennies From Heaven
(4:37)  4. All Too Soon
(4:35)  5. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
(3:50)  6. It's All Right With Me
(4:44)  7. September In The Rain
(4:38)  8. He's Funny That Way
(4:36)  9. Sometimes I'm Happy
(5:11) 10. Darn That Dream
(3:55) 11. Whistling Away The Dark
(5:10) 12. Tea For Two

The daughter of jazz trumpeter Stephen Fulton, Champian Fulton had plenty of early exposure to the music through her father. She began piano lessons at the age of five and as she grew interested in singing as well, she began accompanying herself.  Fulton is a refreshing change from many of the singing jazz pianists of the past two decades, as she excels in both areas while never resorting simply to doing the minimum to get by in her interpretation of standards. She builds on the success of her 2007 debut Champian (Such Sweet Thunder), when she was backed by David Berger's Sultans of Swing. But this time it's a trio date with bassist Neal Miner and drummer Fukushi Tainaka, Fulton playing and singing a dozen timeless pieces that were penned long before her birth in 1985. While Fulton's voice is youthful, her vocals often incorporate the touches of a veteran, including a defiant interpretation of "When Your Lover Has Gone" that has a sassiness reminiscent of Carmen McRae along with her superb vocal inflections and bebop chops in her driving setting of "September in the Rain." 

Fulton also masters slow ballads, such as Duke Ellington's powerful "All Too Soon," in which she communicates the sorrow of lost love desiring a reunion as if she has lived the lyrics. The one piece that is not as well known is "Whistling Away the Dark" (a superb ballad by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercerr, performed in waltz time), which Fulton skillfully interprets as if it has been a part of her repertoire since she began singing. The closing track features Fulton singing "Tea For Two" over Miner's walking bass, before she and Tainaka join him for a swinging instrumental break. Fulton is a gifted musician who is deserving of wider recognition. ~ Ken Dryden  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=33415#.UulyGrSgsis

Personnel: Champian Fulton: piano, vocals; Neal Miner: bass; Fukushi Tainaka: drums.

Sometimes I'm Happy

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Champian Fulton - Birdsong

Styles: Vocal, Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:39
Size: 152,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:13) 1. Just friends
(6:36) 2. Yardbird suite
(5:32) 3. This is always
(5:40) 4. Star eyes
(5:07) 5. Quasimodo
(4:49) 6. All God's chillun got rhythm
(4:46) 7. Dearly beloved
(5:06) 8. Out of nowhere
(7:21) 9. If I should lose you
(5:00) 10. My old flame
(9:25) 11. Bluebird

Champian Fulton was introduced to alto saxophonist Charlie Parker during her stay in the womb. The New York-based pianist/vocalist's father, Stephen Fulton held a high opinion ("The most beautiful music that ever was") of Charlie Parker With Strings (Verve, 1950), so he made a cassette tape of the recording and played it during his wife Susan's pregnancy: The sound waves of Charlie Parker and Orchestra traversing maternal flesh to burst into the domain of amniotic fluid to find their way to tiny ear canals, the tympanic membranes, to the ultimate destination the pleasure centers of the growing brain, bringing (we can guess) a bright pre-birth smile that hasn't (no guessing here) faded to this day.

There may or may not have been a method to Stephen Fulton's madness. But if there was a strategy, it must have worked. Thirty some years later, Champian Fulton offers Bird Songs, a joyful celebration of Charlie Parker's centennial. Champian and Company open with "Just Friends," a tune that also sat in the introductory cut position on Parker's With Strings session. A better choice couldn't have been made. The Champian Fulton-led ensemble has a relaxed and fluid swing. Fulton's vocals feature syllables stretched like warm bread dough interspersed with interludes of a horn like sassiness. Saxophonist Scott Hamilton blows a supple and swingingly elegant solo. Fulton covers tunes written by Parker "Yardbird Suite," "Quasimodo," "Bluebird" as well as numbers that Parker made his own...

Making them her own something that Fulton is doing here in her own sweet way, whether it's "Star Eyes," its bounce coming out of the understated, old school style rhythm team, with bassist Hide Tanaka and drummer Fukushi Tainaka, or "Dearly Beloved," with Fulton comping straight up behind Hamilton's sax solo, sounding a bit like Jutta Hipp. "Out of Nowhere" features rumba rhythm and gorgeous, soft-around-the-edges flugelhorn solo from Stephen Fulton (the guy with that cassette tape), while "Bluebird" one of Bird's most recognizable melodies, closes the show with an authentic 1940s, early 1950's atmosphere.Marvelous!By Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/birdsong-champian-fulton-self-produced

Personnel: Champian Fulton: piano, Vocal; Fukushi Tainaka: drums; Hide Tanaka: bass; Stephen Fulton: flugelhorn; Scott Hamilton: saxophone, tenor.

Birdsong

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Champian Fulton - Meet Me at Birdland

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:11
Size: 159,2 MB
Art: Front

(0:28) 1. Welcome to Birdland
(5:41) 2. Too Marvelous for Words
(7:42) 3. Every Now & Then
(6:27) 4. Evenin'
(5:51) 5. Theme for Basie
(6:42) 6. Happy Camper
(4:14) 7. Just Friends
(3:48) 8. I Didn't Mean a Word I Said
(7:16) 9. I've Got a Crush On You
(9:35) 10. I Don't Care
(4:43) 11. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(2:45) 12. I Only Have Eyes for You
(3:53) 13. It's Been a Long Long Time

Swing pulses through New York-based jazz vocalist and pianist Champian Fulton’s veins. Since her arrival on the scene in 2003, Fulton has been lauded for her poise and allure. A live Champian Fulton performance ensures a radiant ambiance pronounced by the multi-talent’s clarion vocals and lush keys. Birdland Jazz Club was witness to this glory in September of 2022, when Fulton enjoyed a four-night stint without repeating a single tune, all while documenting what would become her latest live album. Those tapes yielded the polished Meet Me at Birdland, Fulton’s sixteenth album as a leader, due out April 7, 2023.

In 2015, Scott Yanow wrote that Fulton “grows in stature with each recording,” after the release of her prized date, Change Partners. Now a veteran on the scene, this seasoned jazz messenger presents a collection of sophisticated standards sprinkled with one prolific instrumental original on her cultivated new offering. Breathing charm into the turn of each lyrical and instrumental phrase, Fulton soars in the company of bassist Hide Tanaka and drummer Fukushi Tainaka.

Suspending listeners into the simulation of a live show, Meet Me at Birdland opens with an introduction from Birdland club owner Gianni Valenti as he welcomes and thanks the audience for supporting live music. Fulton is bubbling from the beginning on “Too Marvelous for Words,” a melodic route that demands and effectively serves dexterity from an intuitive rhythm section.

Optimism is stamped across Fulton’s repertoire, something she considers essential to her purpose as an artist. This uplifting spirit culminates on the original “Happy Camper,” a scintillating instrumental and deft showcase of rhythmic acuity. Tainaka enjoys a particularly brilliant episode to round off the advancing melodic navigation.

While Fulton is full of cheer and known for it, it’s on heartfelt tunes such as “It’s Been A Long Long Time” where she so earnestly unveils her intimidation factor at once, she narrates two points of view as a singer and pianist, both without sacrifice. The 1935 tune “Every Now and Then” is another example, where Fulton bathes in slower tempos while her piano prowess asserts itself as singular rather than complementary to her voice. “I Didn’t Mean A Word I Said” is yet another prime example of Fulton’s piano ingenuity, and she recognizes it with a humble laugh at the sound of the audience’s applause. Listeners will naturally sympathize with the gradual velocity on her commanding arrangement of “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” considering the timely mid-season delivery of Meet Me at Birdland.

Fulton’s devotion to early jazz tradition is vividly transparent on “Evenin’”. The savory and playful track boasts elongated solos from each band member as they recreate the improvisational bebop style of Kansas City jazz of the 1930s.

Count Basie, Erroll Garner, Fats Waller and Clark Terry are a few of her musical heroes, whom she pays homage to throughout Meet Me at Birdland on her rendition of Phineas Newborn’s instrumental “Theme for Basie,” as well as the blues-infused “I Don’t Care.” In the album liner notes, GRAMMY® Award-winning scholar Ricky Riccardi cites Fulton as one of few living pianists capable of evoking Erroll Garner affectionately.

The savvy performer reinvents the breathtaking standard “I’ve Got a Crush on You” with a fresh intimacy, while the waltz “Just Friends” inevitably swings at times. As she introduces the traditional “I Only Have Eyes For You” at the finale, Fulton is cheeky in her efforts to invite the audience back tomorrow. “Every set is totally different..we never know what’s going to happen,” an ironic forward to a tune with a definitive title, which she dutifully commits every end of her vocal range to. Though at this point, no matter what makes up Fulton’s phrase, we can’t help but to trust her as we continue to listen and bask in the luminosity of a bright star.
https://www.champian.net/shop/meet-me-at-birdland-cd

Personnel: Champian Fulton, piano & voice; Fukushi Tainaka, drums; Hide Tanaka, bass

Meet Me at Birdland

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Champian Fulton - The Breeze And I

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:29
Size: 134,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:52)  1. Exactly Like You
(3:52)  2. Day In, Day Out
(6:10)  3. Land's End
(4:32)  4. The Sheik of Araby
(2:49)  5. The One I Love Belongs To Some
(4:03)  6. Say It Isn't So
(3:56)  7. The Breeze And I
(4:09)  8. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart And Throw Away the Key
(5:29)  9. I'm Confessin
(4:02) 10. Easy To Love
(4:57) 11. I Can't Face The Music
(5:09) 12. My Heart Stood Still
(4:23) 13. If I Had You

For anyone unfamiliar with her music, Champian Fulton is a delightful surprise a waft of fresh air; a ray of sunshine that can brighten the darkest day. Fulton is a versatile pianist and singer who ingrains herself into the sentiment of a song. She has depth, emotional pitch and depth that rise to a high degree. It isn't surprising then, that besides leading her own groups in New York City (where she has been based since 2003), she has also played with Lou Donaldson, Frank Wess and Louis Hayes.  The Breeze and I, her third album, finds her in fine form on 13 standards. The choices give her plenty of room to stamp her credentials as a substantial and stylistic performer. Fulton sets the tone with the gently swinging "Exactly Like You," her phrasing neat, the emphasis fitting in perfectly. Her piano adds to the joyous sense of discovery as she rides the melody with verve. The blues are ripe for the picking on "I Can't Face the Music," and Fulton finds the vein into which she can filter a welter of pain. Her voice captures every nuance to elevate the song to a captivating high one that gets added power from her plaintive piano. She then turns in some stunning work as a pianist, as she romps across the break of "Day In Day Out" at fever pitch, rolling out a lode of ideas that complement her vocal delivery. The instrumental title track cements her approach; her playing sparkling, as she references the melody and then takes it to a new home where it jumps and swings. Bassist Neal Miner and drummer Fukushi Tainaka abet the comportment, making this tune absolutely irresistible. Fulton connects to the soul on this very commendable CD.~Jerry D’Souza https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-breeze-and-i-champian-fulton-gut-string-records-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php

Personnel: Champian Fulton: piano, vocals; Neal Miner: bass; Fukushi Tainaka: drums.

The Breeze And I

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Champian Fulton Trio - I'll See You In My Dreams

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:53
Size: 140,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:25) 1. All Of You
(3:59) 2. Baubles, Bangles & Beads
(5:42) 3. Blues For J.McShann
(4:45) 4. Body And Soul
(5:03) 5. Every Now And Then
(4:01) 6. I've Got A Crush On You
(3:49) 7. Happy Camper
(3:52) 8. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
(4:39) 9. I'll See You In My Dreams
(5:37) 10. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
(5:47) 11. Opus De Funk
(8:07) 12. Pennies From Heaven

Champian Fulton (born September 12, 1985) is an American jazz singer and pianist. Champian Fulton was born in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1985. Her father, Stephen Fulton, was a jazz trumpeter who was often visited by musician friends such as Clark Terry and Major Holley. At the age of five, she took piano lessons from her grandmother. After trying trumpet and drums, she returned to piano and singing. When her father was hired to run the Clark Terry Institute for Jazz Studies, the family moved to Iowa. She went to jazz summer camp, where she founded the Little Jazz Quintet. One of their performances was Clark Terry's seventy-fifth birthday party. One of her early influences was Dinah Washington, particularly the album For Those in Love, which she played often as a young girl. She also admired Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Sonny Clark, Red Garland, Hampton Hawes, Wynton Kelly, Thelonious Monk, and Art Tatum.

Fulton graduated from high school in 2003, then attended State University of New York at Purchase, where she studied with trumpeter Jon Faddis. After graduating, she moved to New York City to pursue a career as a pianist and vocalist. Fulton has performed in New York City venues, including Birdland, Smalls Jazz Club, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, the Carlyle Hotel, Cleopatra's Needle, and Shanghai Jazz, New Jersey. At some of those venues she played with Jimmy Cobb, Scott Hamilton (musician), Frank Wess, Lou Donaldson, and Louis Hayes.

She has performed at jazz festivals and events across the U.S., including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Detroit Jazz Festival, Litchfield Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Internationally, she has performed at jazz clubs, jazz festivals, and other venues, including Ascona Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (Scotland), Sunset-Sunside Jazz Club (France), Bansko International Jazz Festival (Bulgaria), Gouvy Jazz & Blues Festival (Belgium), Jamboree Jazz (Spain), Tanjazz (Morocco), Hot Jazz (Israel), Cellar Jazz (Vancouver, Canada), Yardbird Suite (Edmonton, Canada), JazzTone (Germany), and the Ystad Jazz Festival (Sweden).

She has worked with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Litchfield Jazz Camp, and Rutgers University. In late 2015, she joined the faculty of the Jazz Arts Academy (in association with the Count Basie Theatre Education Department) to offer workshops in jazz vocals and jazz piano during the summer. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Champian_Fulton#/Discography

Personnel: Champian Fulton, piano; Hans Backenroth, bass; Kristian Leth, drums

I'll See You In My Dreams

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Champian Fulton & Scott Hamilton - The Things We Did Last Summer

Styles: Vocal, Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:03
Size: 142,2 MB
Art: Front

( 7:04) 1. When Your Lover Has Gone
(10:04) 2. Black Velvet
( 6:32) 3. I Cried For You
( 6:08) 4. The Things We Did Last Summer
( 6:47) 5. Too Marvelous For Words
( 7:35) 6. My Future Just Passed
( 7:15) 7. Runnin' Wild
( 7:35) 8. The Very Thought Of You

Sometimes it's destiny. In the case of pianist/vocalist Champian Fulton: Her father, Stephen Fulton, is a jazz trumpeter who, early on, exposed his daughter to the sounds of classic jazz, to the exclusion of the then current popular sounds. Also, legendary trumpeter Clark Terry, Stephen's friend, hung around the Fulton house from Champian's earliest days, and slipped into a mentoring role for the young woman as she became a professional in her pre-teen years. But most tellingly, upon entering kindergarten Fulton experienced her first exposure to the popular music of the day, including the vapid artistry of Madonna. Champian, the musically precocious five year old, found these sounds lacking, so she brought a Charlie Parker album to class for show and tell.

Destined to be a jazz performer, for sure. Some initial impressions of the Champian Fulton/Scott Hamilton offering, Things We Did last Summer: 1. Swing and 4/4 time, laid down so exquisitely, is a balm for the soul. 2. Veteran sax man Scott Hamilton, with scores of album releases under his own name over a forty year career, sounds like the world champion of the tenor sax soulful and robust, eloquent in his issuance intricate and nuanced solos. 3. Champian Fulton could make a fine career as a pianist, but, like Diana Krall, she also developed a first rate jazz singer's skills.

Things We Did Last Summer, like the handful-plus of previous Fulton releases, is an exploration of the Great American Songbook, many of them here the lesser-known gems of the genre. On "My Future Just Passed," a vehicle for Chet Baker, Shirley Horn and many more, Champian and Hamilton trade measured, dynamic solos, Fulton's vocal tinged with a possessive longing bordering for all it's loveliness on a certain possessive ruthlessness concerning the "boy I'll now be a fool about." With the set's opener, "When Your Lover Has Gone," swing is king. Fulton sings it with a devilish gleam in her eye she sounds, always, like she's having the time of her life and she lays down a sparkling piano turn that brings Erroll Garner to mind: crisp, a bit flashy, gleamingly elegant, giving way to Hamilton's articulate, coming-right-at-you tenor sax.

Five of the eight tunes feature Champian's assured, sometimes sly, and slightly feline vocal artistry; three are instrumental quartet offerings. "Black Velvet," the instrumental highlight, would fit right into the groove of a Lou Donaldson album. Fulton and Hamilton roll smooth and easy on the bass/drums cushion of, respectively, Ignasi Gonzalez and Esteve Pl. It's an absolutely first rate band, working some superb arrangements. It brings to mind, in this regard, Billie Holiday's Songs For Distingue Lovers (Verve, 1957), with Ben Webster on sax, and Jimmie Rowles on piano. Jazz for the ages classy and marvelously performed.~Dan McClenaghanhttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-things-we-did-last-summer-champian-fulton-blau-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan

Personnel: Champian Fulton - piano and vocals; Scott Hamilton - tenor sax; Ignasi Gonzalez - bass; Esteve Pi - drums

The Things We Did Last Summer

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Champian Fulton, Stephen Fulton - Live from Lockdown

Styles: Vocal, Piano, Trumpet Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:03
Size: 144,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:49) 1. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
(4:58) 2. You've Changed
(5:49) 3. Satin Doll
(4:01) 4. Blow Top Blues
(5:39) 5. Moonglow
(4:33) 6. What Is This Thing Called Love
(5:00) 7. What Will I Tell My Heart
(4:34) 8. Look for the Silver Lining
(4:19) 9. I Had the Craziest Dream
(8:24) 10. Pass the Hat
(4:18) 11. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
(5:03) 12. Midnight Stroll
(0:31) 13. A Message from Champian and Stephen

The multifaceted pianist and vocalist Champian Fulton is pleased to announce the release of her new album Live from Lockdown, due out September 10, 2021. After her captivating Sunday-evening webcasts took audiences by storm throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, Fulton decided to offer a permanent recording of her series. To be released digitally and as a limited edition compact disc, Live from Lockdown features a representative selection of some of the most popular sessions from Fulton and her steadfast collaborator, her father Stephen Fulton on flugelhorn and trumpet. A profound display of cheerful composure during an uncertain time, Live from Lockdown showcases the musicians’ sophisticated synchronicity among a collection of re-imagined jazz classics and Fulton originals. https://www.champian.net/live-from-lockdown

Personnel: Champian Fulton (p,vo); Stephen Fulton (flh,tp)

Live from Lockdown

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Champian Fulton - Christmas With Champian

Styles: Vocal, Piano, Christmas
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:20
Size: 136,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:39) 1. White Christmas
(3:32) 2. Pretty Paper
(3:41) 3. I'll Be Home For Christmas
(4:10) 4. Winter Wonderland (Feat. Stephen Fulton)
(6:24) 5. Gracias A Dios (Feat. Stephen Fulton)
(5:03) 6. The Christmas Song
(4:17) 7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
(6:00) 8. Christmas Time Is Here (Feat. Stephen Fulton)
(4:33) 9. The Christmas Waltz
(4:28) 10. Sleigh Ride (Feat. Stephen Fulton)
(5:21) 11. A Child Is Born (Feat. David Williams)
(3:28) 12. Let It Snow (Feat. Stephen Fulton)
(4:36) 13. Merry Merry Christmas

Pianist-Vocalist Champian Fulton's long awaited release, "Christmas with Champian" is being touted as the best new Jazz Christmas album of the year. With her personal song selection, listeners are invited to sit back and celebrate the season with Champian as she swings her way through this charming program of her favorites. Worth noting is Champian's beautiful rendition of the Los Panchos & Eydie Gormé hit, "Gracias a Dios", a selection inspired by her Mexican heritage; also listen for her original song "Merry Merry Christmas", written as a gift to her fans. "Christmas with Champian" spotlights veteran Jazz royalty David Williams on bass and Fukushi Tainaka on drums, who performed for over 30 years with Cedar Walton and Lou Donaldson respectively; and features Clark Terry protegé (and Champian's father) Stephen Fulton on trumpet and flugelhorn on a stunning rendition of "Christmas Time Is Here." A perfect balance of Christmas spirit and Jazz sensibility, "Christmas with Champian" is guaranteed to make your season bright.

"Champian Fulton, with a gleaming smile built in Santa’s workshop, is a charming vocalist and pianist with a fine entry into the Xmas canon. Christmas with Champian is a nice mix of standard and unusual material, filtered through a voice that surprises in its shifts between child-like and seasoned and a touch at the keys that is sweet without being saccharine." ~ Andrey Henkin, NYC Jazz Record

"Fulton's piano approach especially in her solo turns is a bit quirky, highly original, always inventive. Her vocals brim with appealing, fluid phrasing and gorgeous intonation and soul. " ~ Dan McLenaghan, All About Jazz

“Holiday genialness comes naturally to Champian.... Christmas with Champian finds her dispelling the deadening familiarity of dry evergreens... allowing listeners to hear a shopworn lyric and melody as if for the first time. 4 STARS” ~ Frank John Hadley, Downbeat

I can not think of anyone today who does more to preserve the American classics than Champian. As a musician and a vocalist, she takes the tunes of the masters and brings them to life today; and she does it with such a grace and 'swing' it seems like she has been doing it since birth..." ~ StreetCred Music

"Champian Fulton’s piano combines Erroll Garner’s serendipity and Ahmad Jamal’s dynamic calibrations. Combined with her impish vocals, Christmas With Champian (champion.net) makes a worthy soundtrack to any holiday gathering." ~ Kirk Silsbee, ArtsMeme

"Champian Fulton...has emerged in recent years as the most exciting vocal and pianistic talent on the straight-ahead jazz scene. This is a very nice collection of holiday standards (“White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” etc.) and more unusual choices: Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper,” for example, and an old Los Panchos & Eydie Gormé number titled “Gracias à Dios,” as well as a lovely original. As always, Fulton and her band swing powerfully and she sings like an unusually creative and playful angel. And her dad, trumpeter Stephen Fulton, makes a guest appearance as well. There’s simply nothing about this album that isn’t delightful, and since there’s a good chance that your library serves some of her growing legion of fans, I’d strongly recommend this one to all collections." - Rick Anderson, CD Hot List

"To be successful, Christmas albums, need to exude a certain joy of the season and this one does, from the finger-snapping backbeat of “White Christmas” (nice work by drummer, Fukushi Tainaka, throughout) to the closer, “Merry, Merry Christmas”, a lovely original number by Ms. Fulton. The rest of the album is filled with familiar songs of the season but thanks to Ms. Fulton’s first-rate piano work and the rock-solid backing of her sidemen; Mr. Tainaka, bassist David Williams and Champian’s dad, trumpeter Stephen Fulton, these tunes have new life." - Curt's Jazz Cafe

"This is a great jazz record in a Santa hat. Fulton never ceases to find both poignancy and exuberant fun in the least expected places."
~ NY Music Daily https://www.champian.net/news/2017/10/19/people-are-raving-about-christmas-with-champian

Christmas With Champian

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Champian Fulton - Speechless

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:01
Size: 117,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. Day's End
(4:20)  2. Lullaby For Art
(5:31)  3. Somebody Stole My Gal
(5:32)  4. Dark Blue
(4:52)  5. Tea And Tangerines
(4:45)  6. Later Gator
(5:27)  7. Pergola
(5:09)  8. Happy Camper
(6:15)  9. That's Not Your Donut
(4:06) 10. Carondeleto's

Speechless is a date that may be best classified as a centrist statement, but it's far from the norm for Champian Fulton. While many have come to know and admire Fulton for her arresting vocals and piano work, both usually given in service to Great American Songbook classics, she's not conforming to those expectations here. For her eighth album in total, and her debut on the Posi-Tone imprint, Fulton is staying completely mum for the first time, putting her piano playing in the spotlight on a program of originals. Fulton's songs tend to speak with an old-world charm that makes them irresistible. An after-hours vibe is immediately apparent on the opening "Day's End," a low-key swinger with behind the beat ruminations, rippling asides, and stylish plinks. From there it's off to "Lullaby For Art," an ode to Blakey that, while hardly qualifying as a lullaby, could've certainly been a lost Bobby Timmons tune. Then the lone cover comes into view a hyper take on "Somebody Stole My Gal" that has Fulton setting the scene before drummer Ben Zweig steals it with his brush work and things turn "Dark Blue" with a burnished synesthesia ballad contrafact on "Woody 'n' You." Through it all, Fulton impresses by not trying to impress. 

In an age when a lot of albums try to sell you a bill of goods or present false deities, Champian Fulton makes her mark by just being herself. It's a novel concept that shouldn't have to be.  Attractive informality continues to carry the day as Fulton moves forward with a waltzing "Tea And Tangerines," merges a Lou Donaldson blues aesthetic and Herbie Hancock-esque swagger à la "Alligator Boogaloo" melding with "Cantaloupe Island"on "Later Gator," and cedes some well-earned space to bassist Adi Myerson on the mellow "Pergola." Then she heads toward the finish line with "Happy Camper," an animated Latin-swing hybrid built in the image of Horace Silver; a bluesy "That's Not Your Donut," highlighting clear-headed single note piano lines and cheery chording; and a happily hurtling "Carondeleto's," a song that captures the spirit of the late Clark Terry the trumpet titan who called Carondelet, Missouri his home. Not a word is uttered on Speechless, but the music says volumes. Champian Fulton continues to dazzle and delight on this album, demonstrating that her truest voice may very well be found in her piano playing. ~ Dan Bilaswsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/speechless-champian-fulton-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Champian Fulton-piano; Adi Meyerson-bass; Ben Zweig-drums

Speechless

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Champian Fulton & Cory Weeds - Dream A Little...

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:51
Size: 139,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
(4:41)  2. Fly Me To The Moon
(6:57)  3. Lullaby For Art
(7:18)  4. Darn That Dream
(5:53)  5. Pennies From Heaven
(5:58)  6. Once I Had A Secret Love
(9:07)  7. I Thought About You
(5:18)  8. Tangerine
(5:34)  9. I'd Give A Dollar For A Dime
(7:03) 10. Save Your Love For Me

“[Dream a Little] practically pants with unvarnished vitality….Fulton has set a high bar for herself since her 2007 debut Champian. In recent years she’s released a series of strong albums, each exposing a different aspect of her music. Dream a Little… might be her most pleasingly inviting. From the concise opening title track, she and Weeds establish the house rules with a conversational intimacy that bespeaks trust earned over many years and many gigs. It’s a loose session rife with quicksilver interplay. Fulton isn’t a subtle singer; she’s got an edge of brass in her voice that makes ballads, like a convincing version of “Darn That Dream,” more fulsome laments than whispered confessions. Weeds listens closely and responds in kind, often using his airy lower register as a tonal counterpoint when Fulton’s voice ascends. The album is also a showcase for her pianistic facility. She plays with such swinging joie de vivre on “Once I Had a Secret Love” that it’s easy to forget it’s not an instrumental track.” ~  Andrew Gilbert, JazzTimes

"At this point in jazz history, Champian Fulton is the best piano-playing singer and the best pianist who happens to be a singer. With her blend of precision and flair on the keys and her nuanced approach to the mic, she’s been unstoppable lately. Her career validates the old proverb that you get good at what you do: somehow, in between gigs, she manages to find the time to make albums....While this is first and foremost a collection of bittersweet love ballads, it’s also uproariously funny when least expected: Fulton has a subtle and often sly sense of humor, particularly on the keys. As if we need yet more proof that more artists should be making live records, this is it." ~ NY Music Daily https://champianfulton.bandcamp.com/album/dream-a-little

Dream A Little...

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Champian Fulton - The Stylings Of Champian

Size: 194,2 MB
Time: 83:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Day By Day (7:19)
02. Lollipops And Roses (3:54)
03. I Only Have Eyes For You (5:34)
04. Blues Etude (6:33)
05. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (7:31)
06. Rodeo (6:17)
07. Darn That Dream (7:40)
08. Too Marvelous For Words (6:23)
09. Body And Soul (3:13)

CD 2:
01. Isn't It A Lovely Day (7:59)
02. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (5:09)
03. Martha's Prize (5:19)
04. Lonesome And Sorry (3:20)
05. All The Things You Are (6:42)

Champian’s 10th album, “The Stylings of Champian”, is a fabulous two disc set featuring 85+ minutes of non-stop swinging Jazz. Joined by her working New York Quartet - Hide Tanaka on bass, Fukushi Tainaka on drums, and Stephen Fulton on flugelhorn - “The Stylings of Champian” highlights compositions by Champian’s piano heroes: “Blues Etude” by Oscar Peterson and “Martha’s Prize” by Cedar Walton, in addition to a beautiful arrangement by legendary Jazz bassist Buster Williams on the Rogers and Hart standard “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.” Named Female Jazz Vocalist of the year by Hot House Jazz Magazine, Champian’s vocal artistry is most apparent on “Body and Soul”, a duet performance with solo bass and voice. With this release, Champian has assured her place in the Jazz firmament.

The Stylings Of Champian

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Champian Fulton - After Dark

Size: 125,9 MB
Time: 54:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Ain't Misbehavin' (2:14)
02. That Old Feeling (3:54)
03. What A Difference A Day Made (3:44)
04. Blue Skies (4:37)
05. Keepin' Out Of Mischief (4:11)
06. A Bad Case Of The Blues (4:55)
07. Travelin' Light (7:21)
08. Mad About The Boy (5:28)
09. All Of Me (5:47)
10. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home (6:13)
11. Midnight Stroll (5:32)

Champian's new album, "After Dark", features the music of Dinah Washington. Let her tell you the story of how this record came to be;

"The first time I heard Dinah Washington, I was a little girl. I fell in love with her big voice and clean phrasing while listening to “The Fats Waller Songbook” and “For Those In Love.” The sound of her voice was everything I wanted to be: strong and sassy; she was clearly having fun in her life. I became completely obsessed. I listened to her records so much that I easily memorized every word and every note. Clark Terry, a family friend, thought it was most amusing to have me sing his solos, as well as Jimmy Cleveland’s and Wynton Kelly’s, while we were at parties. I can remember him telling his friends Joe Williams and Sir Roland Hanna, among others, that I could recite the entire album. On occasion he would ask me to sing “Long John, The Dentist”, which is a rather risqué tune, but of course the humor of an 8-year-old girl singing that song was lost on me until I was much older.

As I grew up, I discovered Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Helen Humes… But I always came back to Dinah. I collected her entire discography, read everything about her, and asked all my musician friends if they had known her. The more I heard and learned, the more I was fascinated. Every musician I spoke to admired her artistic integrity, her ability to make a hit recording in one take, and her no-nonsense attitude.

I have never loved the idea of a “tribute” record, but in the past few years I have been revisiting Dinah’s music more and more. She has comforted me when I needed it, made me laugh, and warmed my heart. In recording this album of her songs, I hope to do the same for you. I hope this record makes you smile, feel loved, and brightens your evenings. Put it on in those quiet moments After Dark. ~Champian"

After Dark

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Champian Fulton - Change Partners: Live At The Yardbird Suite

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 82:26
Size: 188.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[6:42] 1. You Made A Good Move
[6:55] 2. Change Partners
[5:43] 3. Lover, Come Back To Me
[5:03] 4. The Boy Next Door
[6:13] 5. Bring Enough Clothes
[9:20] 6. After You've Gone
[8:00] 7. Sin To Tell A Lie
[6:26] 8. Social Call
[7:52] 9. Get Out Of Town
[5:41] 10. Hallucinations
[6:09] 11. My Ideal
[8:16] 12. East Of The Sun

Champian Fulton (piano/voice), Cory Weeds (tenor sax), Julian MacDonough (drums), and Jodi Proznik (bass).

Born in Oklahoma, Champian Fulton has become a world class Jazz pianist and vocalist with international acclaim. She grew up with music in the home; her mother and father (Jazz trumpeter and educator Stephen Fulton) recognized her fascination with music at an early age. The presence of her father’s musician friends, including Clark Terry and Major Holley, inspired her focus on Jazz. Her first paid musical engagement was with her own band at Clark Terry’s 75th Birthday Party; she was 10 years old. Since then, her piano and voice skills have been recognized by peers and critics as distinctive and sophisticated. This young woman from Oklahoma captivates audiences in New York’s finest Jazz rooms and in concert halls around the world.

A mainstay on the vibrant New York Jazz scene, she has performed with musical royalty such as Lou Donaldson, Frank Wess, Eric Alexander, Buster Williams, and Louis Hayes. From New York to Barcelona, Champian’s swinging style and charismatic performances have made her a guardian of the legacy of Jazz. Champian’s heroes include Bud Powell, Red Garland, Erroll Garner, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington.

Champian’s fifth recording, Change Partners: Live at the Yardbird Suite (2014 Cellar Live), was recorded in front of a live audience while on tour in Canada.

Change Partners: Live At The Yardbird Suite  

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Champian Fulton With David Berger & The Sultans Of Swing - Champian

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:58
Size: 113,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. I Didn't Mean a Word I Said
(3:36)  2. He Ain't Got Rhythm
(3:46)  3. This Is Always
(2:48)  4. They Didn't Believe Me
(3:32)  5. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(3:18)  6. Get out of Town
(3:17)  7. Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
(2:53)  8. It's Crazy
(3:23)  9. The Gypsy
(4:26) 10. You Turned the Tables on Me
(3:30) 11. Too Close for Comfort
(4:01) 12. Romance in the Dark
(3:48) 13. Just One of Those Things
(1:34) 14. Never-The-Less

Born in 1985, Champian grew up in Norman Oklahoma with her parents, Stephen and Susan. Influenced at an early age by her father Stephen, a world reknowned Jazz trumpeter, Champian fell in love with Jazz. Surrounded by her father's musician friends, which included Clark Terry and Major Holley, Champian learned the language of the music firsthand. She began to study piano with her grandmother at age 5. As singing became more and more important, Champian began to play Jazz piano to accompany herself at home. Champian's family moved to LeMars Iowa in 1994; where Stephen Fulton became the director of the Clark Terry Institute for Jazz Studies. It was here that Champian formed her first band. The members of the “Little Jazz Quintet” were all under the age of 10, except for the trumpeter - the elder of the group - who was 12 years old.

The “Little Jazz Quintet” performed at many events in LeMars, including Clark Terry's 75th Birthday party. After a short move to New York, Champian and her family returned to Norman Oklahoma in 1998. Champian's full attention turned to Jazz at this time, and by 1999 Champian was performing with her new band all around the region. 1999 included appearances at the Kemah Boardwalk Jazz Festival, the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival, and the Jazz in June Festival held in Norman Oklahoma. 2001 marked the beginning of Champian's stay at Maker's Cigar & Piano Bar in OKC. Maker's, and its owner Clinton Greehaw, were supportive of Champian while she grew musically as a professional performer. Makers made a wonderful musical home for Champian during these formative years. 

The Champian Fulton Trio would continue to perform at Maker's nearly every weekend through 2003, when Champian graduated from Norman North High School as valedictorian and made her move to NYC to attend SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory. In New York City since 2003, Champian has been able to become a part of the Jazz scene. Besides leading her own gigs Champian has been able to play with some world-class musicians such as Louis Hayes, Jimmy Cobb, Frank Wess, and Lou Donaldson. She has been a mainstay at Birdland, the Jazz Corner of the World, and you can catch her at a number of other venues in Manhattan. A perpetual student of Jazz piano and Jazz singing, Champian mentions Erroll Garner, Bud Powell, Sonny Clark, Count Basie, Dinah Washington, and Sarah Vaughn as some of her main influences. It is also a well kept secret, but Champian was an award winning Jazz soloist on her trumpet in high school with state honors. Champian was named as a finalist in the Kathleen B. Turner Jazz Piano Competition at the University of West Florida in spring 2006. That same year she graduated with honors from SUNY Purchase. Champian’s debut album “Champian” was released in 2007 and the new trio CD, “Sometimes I’m Happy” was released in September of 2008. She lives in New York City and continues to play the music she loves with her current trio featuring Neal Miner (bass) and Fukushi Tainaka (drums). Bio ~  http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/champianfulton

Personnel: Champian Fulton (vocals, piano); Jay Brandford (reeds); Brian 'Fletch' Pareschi, Michael Rodriguez (trumpet); Dennis Irwin (bass guitar); Matt Hong (vocals, reeds); Ryan Keberle (vocals, trombone); Carl Maraghi, Daniel Block, Mark Hynes (reeds); Irv Grossman, Bob Millikan (trumpet); Marshall Gilkes, Wayne Goodman (trombone); Isaac Ben Ayala (piano); Jimmy Madison (drums). Additional personnel: David Berger , The Sultans of Swing .

Champian

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Champian Fulton - Champian Sings And Swings

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 56:47
Size: 131.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:15] 1. Tenderly
[3:59] 2. You're Getting To Be A Habit
[4:50] 3. It's Alright With Me
[3:11] 4. I'd Give A Dollar For A Dime
[7:07] 5. I Cover The Waterfront
[5:47] 6. Samba De Orfeu
[4:26] 7. It's Too Late (Baby, Too Late)
[3:26] 8. Foolin' Myself
[4:52] 9. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down
[3:33] 10. The Shadow Of Your Smile
[4:39] 11. Celia
[6:35] 12. Summertime

Called ''...the most gifted pure Jazz singer of her generation'' by noted jazz critic Mark Stryker of the Detroit Free Press, singer/pianist Champian Fulton marks her Sharp Nine debut with a program of twelve tunes that conveys the depth and breadth of her musical talent: from the sauciest blues of It's Too Late, Baby Too Late to the sophisticated bebop lines she spins on Bud Powell's Celia, the common denominator is the natural born swing that emanates from every word she sings and every note she plays. Accompanied by her working rhythm section throughout, with guest appearances from tenor man Eric Alexander and flugelhornist Stephen Fulton, this set announces the emergence of a complete musical stylist well on her way to making a significant mark on the vocal jazz scene.

Champian Sings And Swings

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