Champian Fulton

Champian Fulton
Background information
Born September 12, 1985
Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres Jazz, vocal jazz, swing
Occupation(s) Singer, musician
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 2000–present
Website www.champian.net

Champian Fulton (born September 12, 1985 in Norman Oklahoma USA) is an American jazz singer and pianist.

Career

Early years

Champian Fulton was born in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1985.[1] 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.[2]

Champian in a red dress at a grand piano.

One of her early influences was Dinah Washington, particularly the album For Those in Love, which she played often as a young girl.[3][2] She also admired Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Sonny Clark, Red Garland, Hampton Hawes, Wynton Kelly, Thelonious Monk, and Art Tatum.[2]

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.[3]

Live performances

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.[4][5]

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.[4][5] 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).[4][5]


Jazz education

She has worked with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Litchfield Jazz Camp,[6] and Rutgers University. In late 2015, she joined the faculty of the Jazz Arts Academy (in association with the Count Basie Theatre Education Department)[7] to offer workshops in jazz vocals and jazz piano during the summer.

Critical reception

A jazz critic at the Village Voice said, "Fulton's unforced sense of swing comes in just as handy on the vintage ballads, where her other assets include precise enunciation like you just don't hear any more in jazz singing".[8]

A critic in the Hartford Courant wrote, "Her piano playing is authentic, and she swings in a style that celebrates bebop modernism, reflecting her literally lifelong passion for such great modern jazz pianists as Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, Erroll Garner, Sonny Clark and Hampton Hawes, among others."[9]

Champian Fulton in red at the TSF Jazz Radio studios, sitting at an upright piano.

A reviewer at All About Jazz wrote, "Champian Fulton positively thrives in the confines of the American Popular Songbook...she has a knack for personalizing lyrics that were written the better part of a century ago."[10]

Nate Chinen of the New York Times called her, "A charming young steward of the mainstream jazz tradition."[11]

Champian Sings and Swings was chosen by the New York Observer as one of its top ten jazz albums of 2013.[12]

Awards and honors

Discography

As leader

As guest

References

  1. ↑ "The Jazz Museum in Harlem". www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Dryden, Ken. "Champian Fulton". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Playing Dinah's Dues| Champian Fulton Profile, Jan. 2015". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  4. 1 2 3 "Previous Appearances List| by Champian Fulton - About". Champian.net. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  5. 1 2 3 "Past Concert Venue Posters| by Champian Fulton - Press". Champian.net. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  6. ↑ Litchfield Jazz Camp, Teaching Artist – Champian Fulton Retrieved 2016-12-06
  7. ↑ Jazz Arts Academy Retrieved 2016-12-06
  8. 1 2 Davis, Francis (27 November 2007). "Rookies of the Year". The Village Voice. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  9. ↑ McNally, Owen (7 October 2012). "Champian Fulton at Japanalia". tribunedigital-thecourant. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  10. ↑ "Champian Fulton: The Breeze And I| Review by D. Orthmann, Aug. 2010". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  11. ↑ Chinen, Nate (21 February 2013). "Jazz Listings for Feb. 22–28". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  12. 1 2 Kassell, Matthew (20 December 2013). "The Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2013". Observer. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "Rising Star – Female Vocalist – 62nd Annual Critics' Poll" (.pdf). Down Beat. August 2014. p. 67. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  14. ↑ Conrad, Thomas (1 December 2007). "Champian Fulton with David Berger & the Sultans of Swing: Champian - JazzTimes". JazzTimes. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  15. ↑ "Sometimes I'm Happy - Champian Fulton". All About Jazz.
  16. ↑ Loudon, Christopher (7 May 2013). "Champian Fulton: Champian Sings and Swings - JazzTimes". JazzTimes. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  17. ↑ Yanow, Scott (4 May 2015). "Champian Fulton – JAZZIZ Magazine". JAZZIZ Magazine. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  18. ↑ Blanco, Edward (20 March 2016). "Champian Fulton: After Dark". All About Jazz. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  19. ↑ Wilkins, Woodrow (13 June 2008). "Tobias Gebb & Trio West: An Upper West Side Story". All About Jazz. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
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