Tia Fuller and Healing Space
Tia Fuller, alto saxophone; Peter Stoltzman, piano; Rob Kohler, bass; Zach Harmon, drums

Thursday, July 31 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $20 general | $10 students

Online:
By phone: 650.725.ARTS (2787); In Person: Stanford Ticket Office
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Program Notes

“From the first notes to the last, Fuller holds your attention and never lets go. If you’ve been waiting for a versatile, creative voice on alto saxophone, soprano, and flute, your wait is over… Fuller delivers with this wonderful recording.” – Jon Faddis

Everyone needs an oasis of peace in our modern world. Alto saxophonist Tia Fuller says she wants listeners to find that sanctuary in her music and find the strength and inspiration “to relentlessly press toward a breakthrough into the next level.” From surging post-bop to sophisticated, R&B-influenced ballads, Fuller’s music offers plenty to inspire and delight. On her most recent album, Healing Space, Tia’s quartet and special guests perform ten original tunes with heartfelt conviction and passion. With a firm belief in the power of music to give comfort and solace, Tia dedicated two compositions, Katrina’s Prayer and Katrina’s Lullaby, to those affected by the hurricane and its aftermath. Growing up in a musical family in Colorado, Tia played piano from an early age and took up flute and alto saxophone as a teenager. After earning a master’s degree in jazz pedagogy and performance, she moved to New York and has played with such luminaries as Nancy Wilson, Ralph Peterson, Jr., Don Byron, and R&B superstar Beyoncé Knowles, in addition to leading her own groups.

Tia Fuller web site

Q&A wtih Tia Fuller

What is the first recording you remember hearing as a child?
John Coltrane “Giant Steps.”

Who is your favorite jazz musician under the age of 30?
E.J. Strickland.

What job would you have if you weren’t a jazz musician?
Fitness Guru.

What’s the strangest experience you’ve ever had on the bandstand?
My reed sliding off my mouthpiece in the middle of my solo...it almost felt like I was going to choke on it.

What’s your favorite food?
Thai Food.

What’s the most exotic place you’ve traveled to as a musician?
Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia; Mubai India, and Bangkok, Thailand

What’s the last book you’ve read?
“The Secret “ by Rhonda Byrne.

If you could play with any other musician, living or dead (with whom you have not played), who would it be and why?
Joe Henderson, Louis Hayes and Elvin Jones.

What’s your favorite tune?
“If I Should Lose You.”

What’s your favorite thing about being a Stanford Jazz Workshop faculty member?
To be able to give back what has been given to me...and see the light bulbs turn on and a student saying “ I get it now!”

What’s your favorite jazz venue?
Cecil’s Jazz Club in West Orange, NJ (right around the corner from my house...it’s like a second home).

Who is your greatest musical influence?
Cannonball Adderly.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have three recordings with you, what would they be?
Cannonball Adderly - “Nippon Soul,” Kim Burrell - “Everlasting Life,” Miles Davis - “Seven Steps to Heaven.”

How much do you practice each week?
10 hrs per week (when I’m not on the road).

What hobbies do you have?
Working out, reading, cooking.

If you could be any other type of artist other than a jazz musician, what would you be?
An interior designer or decorator.

When did you become interested in music, and what circumstances or events led to your becoming a professional musician?
I became interested when I was 3 years old..started playing piano. But after two years of flunking the John Hammond book when I was 5 and 6, I picked up the flute at age 9. Still playing piano, I wanted to be in the jazz band and eventually become a part of my family band “Fuller Sound.” I started playing saxophone when I was 13. Had my first gig when I was 18 and decided to become a professional saxophonist at that point. Went to college in addition to playing gigs. Received my M.A. in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance and moved to NY in 2001. Since I was 16, I knew I wanted to play professionally and now I am able to look back on my life and truly say everything that I set out to do for myself as a artist I have done and even more so.... I have been truly blessed and am extremely thankful!!

If you were to describe your music as a color, what color would it be and why?
Purple...because it is a color of simplicity; yet depth. Rich in sound and sensitive in approach. Ultimately a reflection of myself and what I am striving to be.