Champian Fulton

Jazz Pianist and Vocalist

Champian's UK Tour a Massive Success!!

Every single show was sold out, including Ronnie Scott's in London, and Champian received this rave review in the Irish Examiner after her performance at the Everyman Theater in Cork Ireland as part of the Cork Guinness Jazz Festival: 

"On Sunday, tenor sax player Scott Hamilton was joined by the find of the festival (for this writer at least) Champian Fulton. A piano player of bright, fluid energy and astounding technique, Fulton also has a rich, assured singing voice – by turns velvety and sibilant, with a feline Billie Holiday-esque sharpness adding another dimension. The daughter of a trumpeter, Stephen Fulton, and a one-time child prodigy, Fulton is jazz to her fingertips, inhabiting a string of standards — ‘He’s Funny That Way’, ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’, ‘I Cried for You’ — with fidelity and playful originality."

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/ronnie-scotts-squares-the-circle-on-40-years-of-jazz-461912.html

Champian will return to the UK in February 2019. 

Champian's New Release "The Things We Did Last Summer"

Purchase a physical copy from champian.net, download from iTunes, or stream on Spotify!

Pianist-Vocalist Champian Fulton joins Scott Hamilton, the iconic American Jazz tenor, to present "The Things We Did Last Summer", recorded live in concert while on tour in Spain for Blau Records. This is the way Jazz was meant to be heard: live, unedited, and spontaneous: a whirlwind of improvisation. A refreshing selection of tunes provides the canvas on which Champian and Scott advance their musical ideas; Scott's big sound and swinging manner on the saxophone suit Champian's infectious piano prowess and galvanizing vocals perfectly. On "The Very Thought of You", Champian's enthralling vocal performance transports the listener away from the troubles of everyday life, while on "Runnin' Wild" Scott swings hard into the melody while Champian drives the rhythm section on this wild ride through a tune you haven't heard in a long time. Joined by Esteve Pi on drums and Ignasi Gonzales on bass, Champian and Scott shine brightly on this quartet release, hopefully the first of many to come.


“the excellence of Fulton and Hamilton” is always worth hearing.” - Scott Yanow, NYC Jazz Record

"The Things We Did Last Summer is a balm for the soul." - Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

"As a pianist, Fulton, a dexterous, imaginative player, blends beautifully with the astute Hamilton. Their shared inventiveness is evident across everything..." - Jazz Times

"Not to disrespect Diana Krall’s piano chops, and Karrin Allyson is a much better pianist than she typically lets on, but there’s no other singer in jazz with chops as fast and fluid as Fulton’s Nor is there a pianist with her speed and prowess who’s equally gifted on the mic...." - New York Music Daily

"one of the most sparkling, spirited, and intensely swinging jazz releases I’ve heard so far this year." - CD Hot List

"Fulton sings 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..." - Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

"[Champian is] a hell of a pianist, and one with a very strong voice that seems to instantly wrap up generations of piano jazz expression, but find a way to make it come across fresh and new" -Dusty Groove

"Fulton’s latest album is The Things We Did Last Summer, a collaboration with suave tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton recorded live onstage in Spain last year and streaming at Spotify. It’s a mix of instrumental and vocal numbers, and despite the fact that it’s mostly standards, it’s arguably the high point of Fulton’s career so far. She makes solid studio albums – her all-instrumental collection, Speechless, is a party in a box – but both co-leaders do their best work onstage. More artists – particularly players who can improvise at the level the band reaches here – should be making live records." -  Lucid Culture



THE LINER NOTES

Featuring Champian Fulton (piano & voice), Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Ignasi Gonzalez (bass) and Esteve Pi (drums). Recorded LIVE at Espai de la Musica Mestre Vila (Benicassim Spain), April 1, 2017.

Blau Records Writes:

Scott Hamilton, the American saxophonist, (Providence, Rhode Island,1954), is now almost iconic at Blau Records, with this recording being his fourth, following on from "Live in Barcelona", "La Rosita" and "The Shadow of your Smile"; all live recordings to boot, which gives them that extra something special.

Though Scott Hamilton doesn't need any introduction, it's good to recall that his music always stands for sound, language, diction and style, and since he is up there in the echelon of mythical saxophonists, let me just say to sit back, listen and enjoy.

Champian Fulton, born in Oklahoma (1985), took full advantage of growing up in a rich musical household and environment; her father Stephen Fulton, jazz flugelhornist and trumpeter and teacher, along with Clark Terry and Benny Green inspired and boosted her musical career as a pianist-vocalist and later as a jazz teacher. She shows a beautiful sympathy for the genre and her presence lights up the stage. She is fully centered in her performance as an art, and is aware of the verbal and nonverbal communication with her audience, essential to any concert. Her gig therefore is energetic, warm and emphatic. This live recording is all the more valuable as it is a reflection of what really happens in her favourite habitat: the stage! Champian is a true jazz diva, and as in Scott’s case, comparisons are irrelevant, she is who she is.

Ignasi González on the double bass and Esteve Pi on drums, play regularly in both the Spanish and international jazz scene and have between them a background teaming with major global jazz leaders and bring all this experience to this album.

The compositions chosen for the concert, while belonging to the usual repertoire of jazz vocalists, may not be that well known to the general public, yet, they are recognizably 'back to the roots', an alchemy and distillation of the quintessence of the genre, played at the highest level; feeling, communicating, connecting, live, capturing the freshness, interaction and natural conversation between the musicians and the audience. 

Praise is also due to Estudio Rocketes sound engineer Alberto Sales who manages to skilfully capture what happens on stage, and translates it perfectly for the recording.

And just as one musical note can say more than a thousand words, the music from this quartet eloquently soars where mere words can't reach. This is another one to savour and enjoy.

 

Praise for Champian's NEW ALBUM "Speechless"

Champian's much anticipated new album, "Speechless", was released on March 17, 2017. Order your copy right now via the Store, or download via iTunes. 

photo by Anna Yatsevich (courtest of Posi-Tone Records)

photo by Anna Yatsevich (courtest of Posi-Tone Records)

Pianist Champian Fulton unleashes her creativity to spellbind the audience until they are "Speechless.” With her first date for Posi-Tone, listeners are invited to sit back and dig the mesmerizing sounds as Fulton bravely embarks on her first ever record of entirely instrumental performances. With an amazing program featuring her own original compositions, Fulton delivers a tour de force demonstration of her pianistic prowess. This trio date is also highlighted by the solid harmonic foundation of bassist Adi Meyerson and the bombastically explosive metrics of drummer Ben Zweig. With a straight forward, swinging and soulful presentation that covers a wide variety of styles, sounds, and moods, Champian Fulton succeeds in delivering a stunning revue that will certainly leave every listener "Speechless" and bring bright moments to jazz fans everywhere. 

"[Speechless] showcases her virtuosity as a performer and her inventiveness as a composer....Fulton’s undulating lines simply sparkle.....refreshingly modern and uniquely personal...." - JAZZIZ

"In an age when lots of albums try to sell you a bill of goods or present false deities, Champian makes her mark by just being herself. It's a novel concept that shouldn't have to be....Champian continues to dazzle and delight on this album, demonstrating that her truest voice may very well be found in her piano playing." Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz 

"loves to deliver unpretentious, swinging fun." - Downbeat Magazine 

"...some full on whorehouse piano played with just the right amount of speak easy vibe that says ‘after hours spoken here'. A wildly charming date that brings a female perspective to the barrelhouse that Tatum couldn't, this trio hits it out of the park..." -Midwest Record

"a monstrously powerful sense of swing" - CD Hot List 

"Champian deserves credit, admiration and respect for demonstrating that women in Jazz, more often than not, quietly and confidently let their excellent music do the talking." - 1320Radio.com

"an intensely personal statement - brimming with delicate flourishes, brilliant runs, and moments of quiet intensity." - Downbeat 

"a genuine Jazz double threat" - Hot House Magazine 

"a party in a box!" - Lucid Culture 

"This is jazz as party music and entertainment: it’s anything but rote or slick. There’s a jubiliant, fearlessly improvisational quality to these songs." - New York Music Daily 

"Speechless is 10 original tunes, 50 minutes of pure joy and takes Champian to a place where not many women have gone, not only making a mark as a brilliant vocalist, but musician and composer as well." - StreetCredMusic

"an ambitious, spontaneously fun new album" - Lucid Culture 

"Speechless" may not have vocals but is a treat from beginning to end with nary a weak cut and a slew of strong solos.  Just let the sounds seep into your brain; I guarantee you will feel better." - Step Tempest

"A record that's definitely got us speechless – as we had no idea that Champian Fulton was such a wonderful pianist! The record takes off from the very first note with a burstingly rhythmic sound, and a deft command of the keyboard that maybe takes us back to the generation of Erroll Garner and Art Tatum – but without any slavish references at all, just the kind of dexterity we'd liken to those two masters! Champian wrote almost all the songs herself – fantastic little numbers that really feel timeless, and perfectly suit the kind of energy she expresses with a trio that features Ben Zweig on drums and Adi Meyerson on bass – both players who follow her lead perfectly, like some of Garner's best trios. Yet at times, there's also even more of a left hand bite than that reference might imply – later currents of Ray Bryant, maybe – but again, Fulton's very much her own person. Titles include "Day's End", "Tea & Tangerines", "Later Gator", "Pergola", "Happy Camper", and "Carondeleto's". - Dusty Groove

 

 

Praise for Champian's Latest Album "After Dark"

Champian's new album, "After Dark" A Musical Tribute to Dinah Washington, has been recieved with much acclaim! Read what people have to say below, and purchase your copy in the store or via iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby.com

 “A breath of fresh air on the american songbook” - JAZZ HOT MAGAZINE

"genius" - Wolfgang Sandner, FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE

"4 Stars!" - JAZZ MAGAZIN

"great blues piano" - Richard Kamins, STEP TEMPEST

"sounds as if she loves...singing" - Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene

 “swinging, uncluttered, gently seductive” - LUCID CULTURE

“The latest from vocalist-pianist Champian Fulton is a tribute to Dinah Washington, which is great, but I’d be happy to hear Fulton if she were singing pages from the phone book. Swinging like crazy and burbling with creativity whether she’s singing or playing piano, Fulton, who turned 30 last year, would be a household name if the industry that propelled Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Jane Monheit to stardom could still work its magic.” Peter Hum, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

“Fulton moves effortlessly and vividly from delight, to wistfulness, to wounded angst in a matter of seconds and makes it seem completely natural, the work of a deep and insightful individual and a rare force on both the keys and the mic.” - NEW YORK MUSIC DAILY

"display[s] maturity far beyond her years" - Ken Dryden, NEW YORK JAZZ RECORD

 

 

New Album: "After Dark" to be Released in February 2016

PURCHASE 'AFTER DARK' BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE

EXCLUSIVELY  THROUGH THE STORE SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE, CLICK HERE

Champian's much anticipated new album, After Dark, will be released on February 9 2016. After Dark features the music of Champian's hero, Dinah Washington, and she is accompanied by Jazz luminaries David Williams on bass, Lewis Nash on drums, and Stephen Fulton on flugelhorn. Each tune was handpicked by Champian to reflect her personal favorites of Dinah's legendary repertoire; from well known standards such as "Ain't Misbehavin" to lesser known hits such as "Keepin Out of Mischief Now", you can expect every song on the album to transport the listener and "remove the dust of everyday life," as Art Blakey would say. Read what Champian has to say about the record in her own words, as excerpted from the liner notes:

"[Dinah] 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 my listener. I hope this record makes you smile, feel loved, and brightens your evenings. Put it on in those quiet moments After Dark."

While the street release date is February 9, the album can be purchased online right now in the store section of this website.

The latest from vocalist-pianist Champian Fulton is a tribute to Dinah Washington, which is great, but I’d be happy to hear Fulton if she were singing pages from the phone book. Swinging like crazy and burbling with creativity whether she’s singing or playing piano, Fulton, who turned 30 last year, would be a household name if the industry that propelled Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Jane Monheit to stardom could still work its magic.
— Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen

Watch the music video featuring "What a Difference a Day Made" from the new album, and then be sure to order your copy! 

 

 

 


Watch "Letters to Dinah Washington"

"Mad About the Boy" was filmed in front of a LIVE audience for New York Public Radio, hosted by Jonathan Schwartz. You can watch almost the entire show on Champian's YouTube page, just click here.

http://www.champian.net http://www.facebook.com/champianfulton Champian premiers her new project, "Letters to Dinah Washington", in front of a live studio audience at WNYC's Greenespace, hosted by famed DJ Jonathan Schwartz. Champian Fulton - piano / voice Jack Baker - bass Joe Strasser - drums Stephen Fulton - flugelhorn Cory Weeds - tenor sax Recorded February 2015 at the Greenespace, NYC.


© Champian Fulton