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Champian Fulton: Birdsong
ByThere may or may not have been a method to Stephen Fulton's madness. But if there was a strategy, it must have worked. Thirty some years later, Champian Fulton offers Bird Songs, a joyful celebration of Charlie Parker's centennial.
Champian and Company open with "Just Friends," a tune that also sat in the introductory cut position on Parker's With Strings session. A better choice couldn't have been made. The Champian Fulton-led ensemble has a relaxed and fluid swing. Fulton's vocals feature syllables stretched like warm bread dough interspersed with interludes of a horn like sassiness. Saxophonist Scott Hamilton blows a supple and swingingly elegant solo.
Fulton covers tunes written by Parker"Yardbird Suite," "Quasimodo," "Bluebird"as well as numbers that Parker made his own...
Making them her ownsomething that Fulton is doing here in her own sweet way, whether it's "Star Eyes," its bounce coming out of the understated, old school style rhythm team, with bassist Hide Tanaka and drummer Fukushi Tainaka, or "Dearly Beloved," with Fulton comping straight up behind Hamilton's sax solo, sounding a bit like Jutta Hipp. "Out of Nowhere" features rumba rhythm and gorgeous, soft-around-the-edges flugelhorn solo from Stephen Fulton (the guy with that cassette tape), while "Bluebird"one of Bird's most recognizable melodies, closes the show with an authentic 1940s, early 1950's atmosphere.
Marvelous!
Track Listing
Just Friends; Yardbird Suite; This is Always; Star Eyes; Quasimodo; All God's Chillun Got Rhythm; Dearly Beloved; Out of Nowhere; If I Should Lose You; My Old Flame; Bluebird.
Personnel
Champian Fulton
piano and vocalsFukushi Tainaka
drumsHide Tanaka
bassStephen Fulton
flugelhornScott Hamilton
saxophone, tenorAdditional Instrumentation
Champian Fulton: piano, vocals.
Album information
Title: Birdsong | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Self Produced
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About Champian Fulton
Instrument: Piano and vocals
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