Champian Fulton is a pianist and singer originally from Oklahoma. Her childhood was punctuated by visits from jazz luminaries who were friends of her trumpet-playing father Stephen Fulton, who later ran the Clark Terry Institute for Jazz Studies in Iowa and serves as producer on her new Charlie Parker tribute album.
Champian is joined on Birdsong by tenor saxophone player Scott Hamilton (Humphrey Lyttleton, Chiaroscuro, Andrea Motis), Fukushi Tainaka (Lou Donaldson, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Woody Shaw) on drums, Hide Tanaka (Cecil Payne, Hank Mobley, C Sharp) on bass and Stephen Fulton (Clark Terry, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller Orchestra) on flugelhorn.
Keyed for release to coincide with Parker’s 100th birthday, Birdsong works as a fitting tribute to this hugely enigmatic musician who would have influenced even more musicians had he lived longer. Fulton is hoping not only to pay tribute to Charlie Parker here but also to introduce a whole new generation to music which influenced not only her but countless musicians over the decades.
Birdsong is a recording which achieves so much, for the legacy of Bird and for Champian Fulton as a musician. From the opening notes of “Just Friends,” Fulton demonstrates just why she is a popular singer and interpreter of jazz music.
Her tone and pitch are augmented by the fact that she has a mellifluous and inordinately engaging delivery. Quality oozes from every note, phrase and smooth slide of her voice as she pitches carefully and underpins with emotive and sassy infusions. Over the course of one song, Fulton gives us sultry, cheeky and soulful. The tenor solo from Scott Hamilton is carefully accentuated and delicious, while the piano interlude from Champian is as interpretive as her vocals, which close out the number in sumptuous manner.
“Yardbird Suite” is delivered fresh as a daisy, with a swing and a joy which is hard not to engage with. The tenor solo from Hamilton is glorious, as is Stephen Fulton’s flugelhorn delivered over bass and drums tight but flowing like a river. Fulton’s piano adds another quality input before a well honed but Hide Tanaka’s short bass solo, before the band unite in the final section to close out in style.
“This is Always” is soft and gentle with soaring vocals, whispered soft as baby breath and contrasted with Fulton’s habit of emphasizing the lower register, which adds to the nostalgic feel of the number. The gentle tenor solo almost sighs in delivery and is one to take you away before the rhythm settles into slow swing, under which the piano adds rivulets of graces notes and deftly placed chords which are enhanced in the solo from Champian Fulton on her keys.
“Star Eyes” is a narrative tale of hope and wishes and Fulton gives it her own take, while the band offer quality support. The sax solo which rises from the background is gorgeous and gives way to an interesting piano solo from Fulton, who develops the key into an interesting and intricate dressing of musical frivolity. The final verse is pitch perfect and Fulton’s voice is questioning, switching from demands to whispers in a heartbeat. Gorgeous.
“Quasimodo” is an instrumental, and sets off at a good pace with piano leading the trio rounded out by bass and drums on this number. Hide Tanaka shines on bass here and the empathy between the musicians is clear. “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” is fast, with great brushwork from Fukushi Tainaka and rapid fire delivery from Fulton’s piano. The bowed bass solo is superb and so fast the notes chase each other and almost collide. The echoed tom adds magic to this number, one of the stand outs on Birdsong and a fun listen. The challenge is not to finish the number with a grin on your face.
“Dearly Beloved” showcases Champian Fulton in the best manner, and has a very cool, slightly tempered solo from Hamilton’s sax, which supports the voice right the way through. “Out of Nowhere” is a beautiful song, delivered with aplomb and grace. The contrast in rhythms between the percussion and sax line makes for intrigue and interest and Stephen Fulton’ flugelhorn solo is a delight.
“If I Should Lose You” is lyrically interpreted and Fulton’s delivery is sumptuous and rich while “My Old Flame” is possibly the best vehicle for Fulton on Birdsong, demonstrating her wide range and clear delivery. Fulton has that ability to switch her voice from questioning to demanding without missing a beat. The mood is simply transformed, then just before the tenor sax solo there is a magical moment.
The closing number Birdsong is “Bluebird,” an apt finale to this album. Nine and a half minutes of bluesy bliss, this feels like a Charlie Parker set at times – and Scott Hamilton’s delivery edges towards a more Parker-like sound. The flugelhorn and sax switch and swap ideas and Stephen Fulton’s flugelhorn gives a more Parker-esque interpretation to this number, but the combo never tries to sound like a carbon copy.
That is the thing about this entire album: Birdsong is a respectful and classy homage to Parker, and the music which has influenced Champian Fulton since she was small. In fact, Fulton says she has always felt an affinity with Parker due to their shared regional origins and his approach to music.
There’s a personal element, too: A cassette tape of Charlie Parker with Strings, where he recorded with a full orchestra, was the first sound Fulton heard as she was placed in her mother’s arms after being born. (Fulton’s father Stephen said he wanted her to “experience the most beautiful music there ever was.”)
At the same time, Hamilton is superb on tenor sax but vastly different in style and interpretation and cannot be compared to Parker. So, there is no sense of Birdsong being simply a re-boot of Parker’s music – which is a good thing because for this, it stands on its own and works well.
The results offer the essence of Charlie Parker but not his ghost, the adventurous and playful nature of the musicians Champian Fulton collaborates with and her own musicality and vocal skills. Good job.
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