Taking giant steps on SF Jazz’s stage in five-inch stilettos, saxophonist Tia Fuller’s performance commanded a standing ovation from jazz enthusiasts at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Clad in a skintight reptile print short dress with sparkling embellishment while baring bronze, shapely legs, Fuller gave her audience an unforgettable show.
On stage, Fuller’s horn became an extension of her body. Her artistic expression is strong, agile and buoyant, while her elegant full-bodied saxophone lines effortlessly improvise many moods and grooves.
Backed by an equally yoked quartet, show-stopping Ralph Peterson heated up the drums with Orin Evans on piano and Alexander Toth on bass.
Fuller’s artistry, versatility and ingenuity in musicianship illuminated the stage.
As a composer and bandleader, Fuller’s compositions are an illustration of swinging forward into the next level of life and being consistent in the mindset of progress and greatness.
Fuller has released three albums, “Decisive Steps,” “Pillar of Strength” and her debut album on the Mack Avenue Records label, “Healing Space,” which is a collaboration with trumpeter Sean Jones.
Moving miles ahead, advancing the jazz continuum while remaining open and engaged in other musical dimensions, Fuller is also known for performing center stage with R&B superstar Beyoncé.
“After performing with Beyoncé, I saw how she communicated with her audience and brought them into the music,” said Fuller.
The sultry saxophone player’s musical identity was formed long before she joined the all-female backup band of the hit-making singer.
Fuller’s storyline began in Aurora, Colorado, where she grew up influenced by her two musically inclined parents.
Fuller’s art and jazz-filled childhood included listening to John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughn and Charlie Parker.
Her father plays bass, her mother sings and her older sister, Shamie Royston, is a talented pianist who sometimes gigs with Fuller’s band. Royston is also a composer in her own right. She is the wife of drummer Ruddy Royston.
At age three, Fuller began playing classical piano. By the age of nine she played flute and by high school she began playing saxophone.
Continuing her musical education at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, Fuller graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1998 with a B.A. in Music. Fuller also received a Master’s Degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“When I went to grad school to get my Masters, I realized that I truly enjoyed teaching. It was something that was almost genetically passed down, that I couldn’t get away from even if I wanted to,” said Fuller.
Even though Fuller’s current performing schedule precludes a regular teaching post, she is often a guest lecturer and teaches ensembles and master classes at universities and jazz festivals while touring.
The dynamic saxophonist has been featured in Jazz Improv Magazine, Down Beat Magazine and many other print and online publications.
Following the footsteps of masters like Cannonball Adderley, Jackie McLean and Kenny Garrett, Fuller’s credits include a long list.
Fuller has performed with T.S. Monk, John Faddis, Jimmy Health, the Duke Ellington Big Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Nancy Wilson and many more.
While her lists of credits shine bright, Fuller has endured her share of gender issues as a female saxophone player.
Women musicians are oftentimes greeted with raised curiosity and skepticism when she shows up for an audition or a jam session, especially with a horn. There is a buzz throughout the entire building before she plays a note.
“There have been those who have had problems with me being a female horn player, expecting me to constantly prove myself and wanting to tell me how to dress,” said Fuller.
Creating amazing bodies of work, Fuller leads the pack as women jazz horn players become more ubiquitous.
At home at all points of the music-verse, her show stopping, scintillating, swinging jazz performances and recordings represent today’s modern female musician.
