How jazz artist Champian Fulton plays both and in and out of her time

Champian Fulton has discovered the secret to seizing each musical moment.

The singer-pianist has absorbed countless measures of great jazz. When Fulton sits at the keyboard, she sounds both as if she is bringing all that history to bear and somehow freed by it; free to choose which muse to follow, free to be truly herself in light of all that came before.

One could, of course, observe that all jazz is grounded in a continuum. But Fulton has an intimate relationship with its history. And the deep, timeless sensibility of her work makes each moment sound alive and new.

Columbia audiences will hear just how she does it Sunday, when Fulton closes the "We Always Swing" Jazz Series 2021-22 season with her trio.

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The Oklahoma native encountered jazz early and often — her father, Stephen Fulton, is a trumpeter who kept company with the likes of late St. Louis legend Clark Terry. The younger Fulton's first paying gig came at 10, when she played Terry's 75th birthday party, her website notes.

Reading her history, it seems the work hasn't dried up since. Fulton, who turns 37 in the fall, already has 14 albums to her name, not to mention a slew of supporting efforts. Last year alone, she offered up two efforts: "I’ll See You in My Dreams" and "Live from Lockdown."

The latter, a duo set with her father, is as laid-back and lived-in as the arrangement suggests. Fulton's work, both at the piano and on the microphone, possesses a grace that sounds effortless, but is no doubt encouraged by her own years of study and practice as well as the years which preceded her.

Whether slow or spry, each note practically dances, leaving the listener enchanted and edified.

Fulton's trio will play two Sunday sets at Murrry's, starting at 3:30 and 7 p.m., respectively. For ticket availability and other details, visit https://www.wealwaysswing.org/season/2021-2022/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen. 

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How jazz artist Champian Fulton plays both and in and out of her time