TIA FULLER & SHAMIE FULLER-ROYSTON – FULLER SOUND

DYNASTY

Cellar Records

Tia Fuller, alto saxophone/vocals/composer; Shamie Fuller-Royston, piano/composer.

Two talented sisters, inspired by their musical parents and the family music group that was called “Fuller Sound,” carry their mother and father’s dream into the future with this album release. This family musical group predates their individual careers.  Led by their mother, Elthopia Fuller (a gifted vocalist) and their father, Fred Fuller (a bassist) they spent night journeys learning a shared repertoire, performance discipline, and preparation for their own individual musical journey.

On this duet recording, the sisters carry their musical lineage forward with Tia playing alto saxophone and singing, along with Shamie on piano.  Both are composers.  They open with Shamie’s tune “Windsoar” featuring a rhythmic piano line that grounds the piece.  Even though the music is stripped down to these two talented women, it still swings.   On Track #2, a Tia Fuller composition called “Dooty Baby,” they continue that jazzy swing feel.  It happens naturally, without drums or bass, but still strong and impressive both in terms of time and improvisation. These are two musicians who have played together all their lives. You can almost taste the camaraderie.

Shamie Fuller-Royston is steeped in classical training, but also very adaptable on piano to play just about any genre of music.  Tia brings more of a jazz freedom to the party with her reed instrument singing like a wild bird above the comfortable accompaniment of her sister’s piano.

On Tia’s tune, “Momma Said” they celebrate their mother’s sweet influence, her wise words and musical roots that nurtured the family.  It’s a great jazz tune, with Tia’s voice sounding like a horn. Afterall, Tia fuller is a Grammy nominated alto saxophonist whose album “Diamond Cut” earned a nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. On the other side of the musical coin, when not performing with her own group, she has toured with super-pop-star, Beyonce, playing a completely different genre of music.

Shamie Fuller-Royston was praised by The New York Times as “a rhythmic vanguardist.” She is both a composer and educator.  Her work appears on Terri Lyne Carrington’s Grammy-winning album, “The New Standard.”

This is a grand listen, by a spectacular duo who bring together artistry and family in a single breath. The same way they play together, they breathe as one, inhaling the essence of family spirit and early musical training, than exhaling sheer power, preparation, and creativity. Each of these talented women brings their soul and individual powers to this emotional, musical preparation. The simplicity of only two players, impacting space with so much tenacity and determination, makes this an intriguing presentation. Their music reminds me of my own family times, gathered around the old upright piano, lifting voices, tambourines, or whatever else someone brought to the moment: a poem; a shout; a handclap.

When Tia Fuller & Shamie Fuller-Royston of Fuller Sound play Freddie Hubbard’s tune “Dear John” They wave their exceptional talents into the air like a flag of freedom. Although the production may seem simplistic, it is actually quite remarkable, super intense, and polished like a high-quality diamond.  This duo carries on their family’s “Dynasty” in high fashion, while building their own.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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