Champian Fulton

Jazz Pianist and Vocalist

Champian in the Swedish magazine OrkesterJournalen: Ödåkra Jazz Festival

Translated from the original Swedish (below); reviewing Champian’s performance at the Ödåkra Jazz Festival

Photo by Daniel Eklund

American pianist and singer Champian Fulton surprised big with her quartet. The group consisted of our own Klas Lindquist (reeds), the French bassist Alex Gilson and the Danish Andreas Svendsen on drums. Swing music standards were played with a rare degree of confidence, clarity and joy of playing. Fulton was a virtuoso on the piano at the same time as she sang lyrics in a style close to Ella Fitzgerald's. The piano itself requires multi-tasking of a high order. When singing and playing at the same time with a good tempo, her music becomes a piece of art. Pennies from Heaven is usually played slightly romantically, but here it became an indestructible rhythmic groove-filled number. That Lindquist thrived in this company was not surprising, Champian & Lindquist really complement each other. The evening before, they had also joined the skilled Australian guitarist Dave Blenkhorn's quartet.

Amerianska pianisten och sángerskan Champian Fulton överraskade stort med sin kvartett. Gruppen bestod i ovrigt ay vár egen Klas Lindqvist (reeds), franska basisten Alex Gilson och dansken Andreas Svendsen pa trummor. Det spelades standards inom swingmusiken med sällsynt stor säkerhet, kansla och spelglädje. Fulton var en virtuos pà pianot samtidigt som hon sjöng lànga texter i stil som ligger nara Ella Fitzgeralds. Piano i sig ställer ju krav pả simultankapacitet. När samtidig sảng tillkommer och tempot är högt börjar det likna konststycke. Pennies from Heaven spelas oftast smätt romantiskt. Hãr blev det ett rytmiskt groovefyllt nummer avsällan skadat slag. Att Lindquist trivdes i detta sällskap var inte överraskande,bada riktigt trimmade varandra. Sent källen före hade de ocks ingätt i den skicklige australienske gitarristen Dave Blenkhorns kvartett.


https://orkesterjournalen.com/

Champian in the June issue of Downbeat (2024)

Champian in the Rising Star Female Vocalist Critics Poll

AND a 4 STAR review of her latest album “Every Now and then” with Cory Weeds

“Fulton self-accompanies and solos on piano with harmonic sophistication, impeccable chops, a risk-friendly attitude and an idiosyncratic conceptual range spanning Bud Powell, Erroll Garner and several other way-stations, refracted into her own argot.”

Champian in the Absolute Sound (May / June 2024)

Champian is a powerhouse of a musician! Equally talented as a vocalist and as a pianist, she has been releasing high-quality albums of beloved jazz standards and other great repertoire on an annual basis. Champian swings with clocklike precision, and no matter the tempo there's an ease and excitement in her music making. Her singing includes kittenish scoops and inflections, and you will often hear the smile within her sound. On her recent live recording Meet Me at Birdland with bassist Hide Tanaka and drummer Fukushi Tainaka, you can fall in love with the warmth of her sound on the standard "Just Friends" which begins as a plaintive sweeping waltz ballad and then gradually kicks into a walking swing tempo. Champian is one of the few vocalists I know who can sustain the "s" of a word such as in "friends" and make that sound musical, and on words like "two" there's a type of caress on the sound of "ooh" that make that word and sound come alive. Every song is a work of art in Champian's hands (and voice).”

-Karin Plato, The Absolute Sound

Champian *New Album* with Cory Weeds "Every Now and Then" Out Now


CORY WEEDS – ALTO SAXOPHONE

CHAMPIAN FULTON – PIANO, VOCALS

Produced by Scott Morin

Executive Producer: Cory Weeds

Recorded for a live JAZZYYC audience at OCL Studios, Chestermere, Alberta

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Spencer Cheyne

Photography by Ainsley Christine

Design and layout by Simon Paul

Purchase CDs and LPs at concerts, OR online thru bandcamp.com

TRACK LISTING:

BOSS TUTCH

IT’S ALRIGHT WITH ME

TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS

LINGER IN MY ARMS A LITTLE LONGER

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

CARRY ME BACK TO OLD MANHATTAN

THAT’S NOT YOUR DONUT

EVERY NOW AND THEN

*THE SNAPPER (available digital only)

Champian's Concert in Ascoli-Piceno Italy Reviewed:

Champian Fulton: piano & vocals   Lorenzo Conte: bass   Andrea Michelutti: drums

Ascoli Piceno – COTTON LAB   15.3.2024   h 21.00

Stasera finalmente incontro Champian Fulton

La conoscevo appena di nome, e neanche in questo suo “Jazz classico” che pure  - bazzicando un po’ di musica - avevo qualche volta incontrato in automatico. Ma quanto poco li conoscevo! Ecco però che al COTTON LAB può capitarti di re-immergerti con gusto nuovo nel jazz di nostalgia e di qualità (quello “in bianco e nero”, oggi un po’ meno suonato se non addirittura lasciato nell’ombra) riproposto uguale ma diverso dalla brava e virtuosa Fulton finalmente incontrata in concerto. 

Non serve andare al BIRDLAND di N.Y. 

Se anche il Champian Fulton Trio del Cotton Lab non è proprio quello del Birdland Theater (con Fugushi Tainaka e Hide Tanaka da Tokio), ne andrebbe realizzato il CD, e cambiare due scritte… 

Anche i “nostri” Lorenzo Conte e Andrea Michelutti sono infatti gli strumenti giusti per la voce-strumento Fulton: si vede da come lei li guida, li ammira, li guarda con gioia. Sono suoi. Il livello è alto. C’è che, mentre lei suona e canta con gioia, guarda chiunque con gioia: la musica la fa felice e lei  esterna. Fulton-fabbrica di gioia. E quando parla – parla tanto – è come se suonasse: parla e canta a due mani, fa le scale, gli arpeggi, le dissonanze,+ i silenzi e i tempi del jazz. La sua voce eclettica è swing e blues. Le sue note sono parole in jazz. Mi ricorda Ray Charles. Canta come parla, parla come suona: non distingui la fonte, la provenienza. Il “solito” jazz classico diventa così una musica nuova, rinfresca perfino certi standard ascoltati troppe volte. La tastiera del piano, mai sotto stress, anche nei virtuosismi obbedisce senza faticare (anche sorridendo…). E mi pare che Champian lasci abbastanza in pace i pedali, le servono poco. Come sospetto che sia lei, sia la sua voce ad “accordare” gli strumenti! che dia lei la frequenza giusta, gli hertz, lei agli altri!

      E quei due? Lorenzo Conte (da Venezia) al contrabbasso: in velocità sembra un silenzioso gradevolissimo motore elettrico ma pare guidare su un binario, quando lento e autorevole sottolinea i fondamentali. Andrea Michelutti con la sua “batteria essenziale” che neanche un piatto in più: è la fantasiosa cremagliera del trio. Sempre presente e vario, sa emergere come eclissarsi. Con classe.



Champian Debuts *New* Show with Jazz at the Ballroom called "Flying High"

FLYING HIGH: BIG BAND CANARIES WHO SOARED

Jazz at the Ballroom salutes the timeless artistry of iconic female jazz vocalist

SAN FRANCISCO (January 2, 2024) – Billie Holiday. Anita O’Day. Lena Horne. Peggy Lee. Rosemary Clooney. Ella Fitzgerald. It’s an impressive, but not complete, list of great vocalists who took swinging jazz standards and added an allusive female perspective. Early in their careers, they were “canaries”—young women singing with the greatest big bands on the scene: the orchestras of Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, and others—and went on to create their own sounds and solo careers.

For the first time, the renowned California-based music nonprofit Jazz at the Ballroom (JATB), proudly announces the debut of “Flying High: Big Band Canaries Who Soared.” This extraordinary musical celebration is a tribute to the legendary women who shaped the jazz genre, showcasing their remarkable talent and the timeless classics that defined the era.

Under the skillful music direction of the esteemed New York-based jazz pianist and vocalist, Champian Fulton, the performance takes the audience on a nostalgic journey through the golden age of jazz. The new show launches during Women’s History Month March 8-10, 2024, at the famous Birdland in Manhattan and is set for a national run.

“We’ve chosen Women’s History Month to launch our new show because it is an ideal time to elevate the artistry of these women and educate others about their influence on music in general and the next generation of artists in particular,” said Suzanne Waldowski, Founder, Jazz at the Ballroom. “We are targeting women’s colleges and landmark venues and festivals. Beyond our New York premiere, we hope to present the show at historical spaces where the original jazz canaries themselves left their mark.”


As a pianist I have always wanted to accompany vocalists other than myself, and I am so thrilled to be able to do that with this project and recording. It was a ball to be able to step into that role and just focus on the sound of the piano and the rhythm section.
— Champian Fulton

Partial Artist List

Carmen Bradford – Vocals, Champian Fulton – Vocals/Piano, Jane Monheit – Vocals, Lezlie Harrison – Vocals, Gretje Angell – Vocals, Olivia Chindamo – Vocals, Vanessa Perea - Vocals, Nicholas Payton – Trumpet, Willie Jones III - Drums, Charles Ruggiero – Drums, Mike Gurrola -- Bass

About Jazz at the Ballroom

Jazz at the Ballroom is a California-based non-profit that celebrates America’s truly original music – classic jazz. They are dedicated to showcasing the greatest jazz artists in unique settings. Through their concert series, scholarship program, workshops and performances at schools, senior living centers, and hospitals, JATB works to enhance the appreciation of jazz in the larger community. For more information: www.jazzattheballroom.com Facebook: jazzattheballroom  Instagram: @jazzattheballroom

Media Contact:

Stacie Fasola (650) 703-2753

Stacie.fasola@wnwnpr.com

© Champian Fulton