Champian Fulton

Jazz Pianist and Vocalist

Champian Returns to Birdland for "Christmas with Champian", December 2022

November 11, 2022  /  Champian Fulton

“It is a genuine joy to sit in a room and watch them play because it's like watching youngsters on a playground, having fun. That is because Fulton and co. really are having fun. Without benefit of any charts, the jazz trio plays off of one another, enjoying each other's company and artistry, even taking out opportunities to stop and watch each other, sometimes laughing out loud as they marvel at the skills on display by their colleagues. At times laid back and cool, others boisterous and exciting, Champian rides a slow boat back and forth between her jazz-infused holiday classics like "The Christmas Waltz" and a significantly wonderful "Winter Wonderland" and classic standards like "I Cried For You" and evening highlight "The Very Thought of You." A bona fide jazz set, there is no script, no trajectory, no story being told, though Fulton is a very good storyteller, as evidenced by the odd recounting of a backstory here or the off-handed remark about Willie Nelson there, and with each new comment revealing a little more of a who she is and what amuses her, there is a tangible tug of a heartstring or two that informs a growing tendency toward being besotted by the charming Champian.” - Excerpt from “Broadway World”, reviewing Christmas with Champian 2021

PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF CHRISTMAS WITH CHAMPIAN, THE ALBUM, BY CLICKING THE ALBUM COVER ABOVE.

Birdland fan favorite, pianist-vocalist Champian Fulton returns to Birdland with her trio for, “Christmas with Champian.” Champian, along with , drummer Fukushi Tainaka and bassist Hide Tanaka, swing their way through a set of jazzy holiday classics including, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” and more. In addition to Christmas classics, expect to hear Champian’s regular Jazz repertoire by composers Duke Ellington, Gershwin, Cole Porter, and herself. (The show will feature about 30% Christmas music!)




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Lou Donaldson's 96th Birthday Party

November 09, 2022  /  Champian Fulton

Thanks to all who attended this magnificent party celebrating our friend and hero Lou Donaldson's 96th Birthday Party. It was a wonderful night!

Thanks to the musicians, the fans, and the wonderful Donaldson family for everything.

Official pictures from Chris Drukker.

Saxophones: Zaid Nassar, Jerry Weldon, Vincent Herring, George Coleman, Nick Hempton, Erena Terakubo, Bill Saxton

Trumpets: Valery Ponamonarev, Richie Vitalie

Drums: Louis Hayes, Fukushi Tainaka, Kenny Washington, George Coleman Jr., Joe Farnsworth, Vince Ector, Rudy Petschauer, Jesse "Cheese" Hameen

Guitar: Peter Bernstein, Russel Malone, Charlie Sigler

Vocalist: George V Johnson, Annette St. John, Kathy Farmer

Piano: Champian Fulton, Michael Weiss

Bass: Hide Tanaka, Jeff Fuller, Paul West

Organ: Akiko Tsuruga, Mike LeDonne.

Party Planning Committee: Akiko Tsuruga, Fukushi Tainaka, Champian Fulton

Dizzys Jazz Club, Monday November 7 2022.

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Champian's Performance at the Deva Jazz Festival (Romania) Reviewed!

October 12, 2022  /  Champian Fulton

We should have been dressed in bow ties and evening gowns at this formidable trio's concert.

I listened to music of the highest quality, jazz in the New York style, retro style jazz, from the era of the clubs where the protipendada showed off their outfits and mistresses, where you had no access as a performer if you had no class. And a tall one! Broadway in a nutshell! Pure jazz!

Luxury Jazz. A jazz that characterized a period of American economic boom and that imposed great value artists on the world. Champion Fulton continues both the family tradition and the tradition of perfect jazz.

From New York came the artist who led this trio and who is considered one of the most talented pure Jazz artists of the generation.

The excellence of this trio, and especially of Mrs. Fulton, was evident from the arrangement of the instruments on the stage. On the right, the stage with the drummer, Xaver Hellmeier. On the left, the piano, with the keyboard facing the audience, obliquely, so that the pianist is facing the two colleagues but also with one side towards the audience, in such a way that they can follow her interpretive performances, both vocal and instrumental, and receive the beautiful and the studied Champion smile. At the other end of the piano was bassist Giorgios Antoniou. Everything was done meticulously.

Mrs. Champian is exquisite in dress and demeanor. I chatted with her at the end of the concert and noted her finesse and elegance. I told him that the title of the article would be "Jazz de Lux".

On the stage at the Deva Jazz Fest, a very well-knit trio took to the stage. Jazz musicians of great experience and value.

The pianist has an impeccable technique with skills such as very interesting changes of rhythms in accordance with the partners, bass and drums, to which are added also impeccable improvisations with visible hints of the jazz of the interwar and immediately postwar years.

Champion Fulton also excels with vocals. Her voice is well dosed in the context, relaxed and at the same time focused. Professional both by the good harmony of voice and piano and by the pleasure and joy she conveys through this beautiful artistic act.

A great achievement of the festival by bringing this trio on stage.

We have to say how enthusiastic the public in Deva was, a knowledgeable public from a city with tradition.

Ar fi trebuit să fim îmbrăcați la papion și în rochie de seară la concertul acestui formidabil trio.

Am ascultat o muzică de cea mai înaltă calitate, jazz în still New York, un jazz de factură retro, din perioada cluburilor unde protipendada își etala ținutele și amantele, unde nu aveai acces ca interpret dacă nu aveai clasă. Și una înaltă! Broadway pe scurt! Jazz pur!

Jazz de Lux. Un jazz ce a caracterizat o perioadă de boom economic american și care a impus lumii artiști de mare valoare. Champian Fulton continuă atât tradiția familiei cât și tradiția jazzului perfect.

Din New York a venit artista care a condus acest trio și care este considerată una din cele mai talentate artiste de Jazz pur ale generației.

Excelența acestui trio și în special a doamnei Fulton s-a văzut încă de la aranjarea instrumentelor pe scenă. În dreapta gradena cu drummerul, Xaver Hellmeier. În stânga pianul, cu claviatura spre public, oblic, așa încât pianista să stea orientată spre cei doi colegi dar și cu o parte spre public, în așa fel încat acesta să-i urmărească performanțele interpretative atât vocale cât și instrumentale și să primească frumosul și studiatul zâmbet Champian. La capătul celălalt al pianului s-a postat basistul Giorgios Antoniou. Totul a fost făcut cu minițiozitate.

Doamna Champian are o ținută și un comportament rafinate. Am stat de vorbă cu ea la sfârșitul concertului și am remarcat finețea și eleganța ei. I-am spus că titlul articolului va fi ”Jazz de Lux”.

Pe scena de la Deva Jazz Fest a urcat un trio foarte bine închegat. Muzicieni de jazz cu mare experiență și valoare.

Pianista are o tehnică ireproșabilă cu abilități ca schimbări foarte interesante de ritmuri  în concordanță cu partenerii, basul și tobele, la care se adaugă și improvizații ireprosabile cu vizibile tente de jazzul anilor interbelici și imediat postbelici.

Champian Fulton excelează și cu vocea. Vocea ei este bine dozată în context, relaxată și tot în același timp concentrată. Profesionistă atât prin buna concordanță voce cu pian cât și prin plăcerea și bucuria ce o transmite prin acest frumos act artistic.

O mare realizare a festivalului prin aducerea pe scenă a acestui trio.

Trebuie să spunem ce entuziasmat a fost publicul din Deva, un public cunoscător dintr-un oraș cu tradiție.

Stela Feldrihan, Cătălin Statie

Comentariile tehnice îi aparțin lui Geo Dumitrică Statie

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Champian performs at the Grenoble Metropole Jazz Festival

October 12, 2022  /  Champian Fulton

Champian performed at the Grenoble Metropole Jazz Festival in October 2022 with Alex Gilson (bass) and Armando Luongo (drums).

Pictures by Franck Benedetto

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Champian Performs in New York Emmy Nominated Show

October 09, 2022  /  Champian Fulton

Champian appeared in the NY Emmy nominated show “Take Me Back to Manhattan”, produced by Jazz at the Ballroom and Ordinary Sunday. The show was televised on NY1 in 2021.


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Champian Releases a Piano Trio Record, Blue and Sentimental, on Venus Records

July 18, 2022  /  Champian Fulton

“Blue and Sentimental” features Champian with her Scandinavian rhythm section of Kristian Leth and Hans Backenroth. Performing only in the piano trio format (no singing), the tune selections are mostly Jazz compositions by musicians such as Fats Waller, Cedar Walton, Thad Jones, Major Holley, and Phineas Newborn.

Read more about the release here: https://venusrecord.com/v2/release/VHCD-1301.html

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© Champian Fulton