Champian featured in the Norman Transcript (September 2023)
Champian poses outside her Oklahoma home with the Norman Transcript feature article.
A/E: Champian Fulton playing rare Oklahoma gig
by: Doug Hill , Local Columnist
Norman product Champian Fulton is comfortable flying by the seat of her britches.
The jazz vocalist and pianist really does not like having a set list of songs to follow when she’s on stage.
The 30-something has been performing since she was a teenager and knows how to read a room.
That lets her pick and choose what song to play next matching what Fulton believes the audience mood to be. She’ll be demonstrating that extraordinary talent along with her musical virtuosity at a show Sept. 29 in the University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab, 100 E. 5th St. Edmond.
Ticket information is available at ucojazzlab.com. It will be Fulton’s first concert in Oklahoma since 2016.
“I’ve been performing for so long that I have a pretty large repertoire,” Fulton said. “I like to have a lot of songs in rotation so I don’t get tired of them myself from playing the same things every night. But I actually don’t like to write out a set list before the show. I just like to go out there, play the first song and see what the audience is like and what they respond to more.”
Different folks may prefer ballads, instrumentals or tunes with vocals.
“My plan is to see what they respond to in the moment and make selections based on that,” she said. “It’s one of the most fun things about performing live, then each show is truly different. If I try to make a list of songs I want to play they may not go with the feeling in the room.”
Which begs the question, how do the other cats on stage, her bandmates, roll with that?
“I think that they may tell you sometimes that they would like a list,” Fulton said with a chuckle. “They might get nervous, you’re dressed-up on stage, the lights are on you and they’re looking at me like what’s happening. But they’re familiar enough with the tunes and they trust me. We love to do it that way.”
It hasn’t been so long ago that teenage Fulton was performing with a band at New York Pizza on Campus corner, often receiving compensation in pepperoni pies.
She’s come a long way since then, developing a career that’s made her an international jazz sensation.
Spring of this year found her on a nine-week tour of Western Europe. In the summer it was a series of gigs in Denmark.
This month, a weeklong residency at storied New York City jazz club Birdland. Later this year, 10 shows are scheduled in Bern, Switzerland.
Fulton’s latest recording “Meet Me at Birdland” has been submitted for Grammy nomination.
She’s not just a hit with jazz fans.
Since childhood Fulton has sought out, learned from and played with older jazz musicians including her father Stephen
Fulton which has undoubtedly contributed to her success.
She spoke to her genre being called “African American classical music.”
“As Art Blakey used to say, without America there’s no jazz,” she said. “Most if not all of my heroes were and are Black. I’ve been very fortunate to have met many of these folks over the years. Jazz really is about a community of musicians and those who work in the business, club owners and the audience. I really like being part of that.”
When Fulton moved from Norman to New York several years ago the opportunities were many. Her talent and vibrant personality made the Okie fit right in.
“I was so excited to see Jimmy Cobb and meet Louis Hayes and hang out with Lou Donaldson who I’ve become very good friends with,” she said. “I wanted then and now to be in that community.”
Fulton will be hosting bluesy American saxophone great Donaldson’s 97th birthday party this year. He’s known for historic collaborations with Thelonius Monk, Horace Silver and Philly Joe Jones.
“This will be my third year hosting Lou’s birthday party, we’re almost exactly 60 years apart in age,” she said. “It’s really exciting to be able to call up people like Sonny Rollins and invite them to a party at Dizzy’s Club in Lincoln Center.”
That’s some rarified air Fulton’s breathing but she values her red dirt roots.
“I feel so fortunate and blessed for the wonderful experiences I’ve had here in Norman,” she said. “I was born here, we moved away then came back when I was eleven which was when I was getting very serious about being a jazz musician. There were so many places to play here in Norman and so many good musicians. We would have jam sessions at the house and play. We’d play at New York pizza once a week with my band. The experience of getting to organize a gig, musically and business-wise was wonderful. People here were so supportive. We played Jazz in June and then worked up in Bricktown at Makers (Cigar and Piano Bar) three nights a week all through high school.”
Fulton’s had to disabuse notions some folks on the east coast have about her upbringing.
“When I tell people I’m from Oklahoma they say, oh really, there’s not a lot of jazz out there, but I tell them no, there are a lot of musicians where I came from,” she said. “I think it’s great here and actually rejuvenating right now.”
Fulton’s folks relocated their residence back to Norman from New York City in the last couple of years causing her to spend more free time here. It contributed to why she’s playing an Oklahoma show next week.
“At UCO-Jazz Lab I’ll be performing with a new trio of Steve Pruitt on drums and Tyler Jackson on bass,” Fulton said. “We’ll be playing quite a few tunes from my new album, my originals and a lot of jazz standards.”