You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - Tia Fuller Interview - #26

Episode Date: February 4, 2019

Tia Fuller drops by the Podcave to talk to Peter and Adam about her newest album, Diamond Cut, and her first ever Grammy nomination.Let us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel and leave a comment for this episode.Interested in more jazz advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram at:https://www.facebook.com/heyopenstudiohttps://twitter.com/heyopenstudiohttps://www.instagram.com/heyopenstudio See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I'm Adam Manus. And I'm Peter Bart. And you're listening to the You'll Hear at podcast. Daily Jazz advice coming at you. Coming at you with some intro music that we've never had before. Why is that the case, Peter? Well, we have a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, how long is this podcast? Can I keep saying very, very special.

We only have like 12 minutes, dude. We only have like 12 minutes. A very special guest and honor guests. My dear friend, the amazing musician's saxophonist, Ms. Tia Fuller. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Peter. What's up? It's really an honor to be.

a part of this in your Open Studio podcast. It's so great to have you here. This has been an amazing week. We're playing music together every night. We're doing some workshops here. We're talking about music and it's exciting to be hanging with you and making music and talking about it, especially now because

there's some big industry news that we'll get to in a second that we want to talk to you about. But the... Some buzz, maybe? There's a little buzz. There's a little buzz in the air. Can you feel it? I can feel it. Yeah. But Tia, your story, you're from Denver, Colorado, originally for anybody that doesn't know. And a lot of people, you know, you kind of came to people's attention when you did some

touring with that, what's that pop singer who kind of faded away a few years ago? I don't know if you remember her. Beyonce. I've heard of her. Yeah, yeah, I've heard of her. I've heard of her. So let's get that out of the way because I know people always asking you. But, I mean, that's actually when I first, I'd heard about you.

And I knew you were a killing jazz player. But then they were like, yeah, T. Yeah, T.F. I was doing the Beyonce. I was like, oh, damn, she's really doing it. So, you know, how was that experience in terms of what, you know, all the things that you've done before that and your training and stuff and then being kind of thrust into that amazing experience in that whole world? Yeah, well, that experience, it came at a time, it was really interesting because it came at a time where I was, I was in midst of recording my first album for Mack Avenue Records, which essentially was my second album. but my first album I actually did was self-produced.

So it was really a stressful time because I was trying to write and, you know, try to practice and, you know, that whole process. Yeah. You're writing more because you're trying to, you can't get to your instrument, but then you get to the gig. So ironically enough, a number of different people were texting me and emailing me and calling me, saying, do you need an audition for Beyonce?

She's having auditions for an all-female band. you got to do it. And so pretty much I went to the audition after a rehearsal that I was having for my group going into the studio later that week. And literally I knew that this was divine order because if it had happened any other way as far as just the construction of the days and when I got calls, I wouldn't have been able to do the audition. So literally Monday I went to go in an audition at Sony Studios for Beyond. I'd say and there was a line like all the way outside of the house or all the way outside of the studio around the corner going down the street whatever street like 56th street or whatever that was

and I was like there's no way I'm waiting in this life that was that's at least eight hours anyone with a read was right so I strategically kind of negled my way closer to the front of the line oh come on now and um walked up there auditioned and then the next day we're went into the studio. It was like Thursday, or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. And it was Friday evening that I got a call back from Beyonce. And this was

after the first recording for Healing Space with Mac Avenue Records. And they said, well, you made the second tier, come on in. And then from that, we had another audition Saturday. Ironically enough, Beyonce walked into my audition, because she wasn't

a part of everybody else's audition, but she randomly came in. I remember she had on there's these white spin. She had on all white and her hair was pulled back and had on no makeup, but it was just angelic looking. And I walked in there and I played, I think we were playing deja vu or something. That was her new single. And then we were all in the room and the musical director came back and called everybody's name and my name wasn't called. And so when everybody went to the other room, I was like, oh man, I guess I didn't make it. And surely enough, the musical director came back in and said,

Dia Fuller? And I was like, yes. She was like, Beyonce specifically asked for you. And I was like, what? So you pushed everyone else out of the way. Excuse me? Me and Bam, I can get it on. No. But and then the next day we had to come back for callbacks. It was the third one. And they were, I mean, they had narrowed down from like 5,000 women nationwide to about 50 of us the last day. And we all played as a band. And then basically, I remember looking up it was Beyonce, Jay-Z,

Miss Tina, Kelly Rowland, they were all just standing there. And we were, the band that got chosen, we didn't know at the time, but everybody was up just dancing. Like, her whole entourage was dancing, and it felt like a party. And so it was after that, which was

Father's Day 2006, that I found out I made it. And I called my dad, I was like, Dad, happy Father's Day. I made it. So from that... Your dad wasn't like, who's Beyonce? I know. I know. But pretty much from that point, it was, the experience was extremely transformational.

Yeah. For me, just like coming from the jazz world and then imparting all of those things, you know, from the pop industry and seeing how her machine is just well-oiled. It's just from management. I mean, there were some things in there that it's like, what? Why are we here eight hours like watching choreography and not playing? But the concept behind it is really like she wanted everybody there. She wanted the spirit and the energy to be right for a tour.

So we all invested our time, whether we were playing or not, or learning just to see. And I realize now that in retrospect, I'm like, man, that really became a part of my DNA. Whether I was playing or not, now I'm able to incorporate many of those things into like what I'm doing at Berkeley, teaching at Berkeley College of Music and creating these massive productions. that integrate strings, lighting, like I'm doing, I'm directing the whole show. Yeah.

Details. Yeah. And I learned it from just watching and being. Oh, you can go ahead and say it. I learned it from beyond. Go ahead. Yeah, I learned it from me. You kind of casually tossed off.

I went from the jazz world to the pop world. But like, you didn't just go from the jazz world. You went to like the top of the song. Yeah, you didn't go to like a top 40 gig and the Ramada Inn or something. I know. No, I was doing those too, though. Oh, I know. No, but I mean, I think it's, you know, that transformation, as you call it, was, that was fun

to see you because I kind of knew you a little and they got to start getting, you know, doing some gigs here and there. But I think what you were really masterful doing as well was you always kept your Jazz Street cred going during that. And then I think that you even kind of maybe left that and some other things in a way earlier than, than you probably could have in order to really follow your passion. could always feel that. Yeah, thank you, Peter. I mean, I remember, so Healing Space came out, and then Decisive Steps, I recorded Decisive Steps, and that was the last year that I was in Beyonce's

band, but the impetus for that album, I remember sitting in the back of the tour bus, and I was like, I don't want to be bound to this gig because I'm stuck, I'm fearfully stuck based off of this, the superficial, emotional attachment that you, you know, you're not. You have, oh, you're playing with Beyonce, your Beyonce. I would never leave that gig. And so I came up with this phrase, living life with faith and not fear, moving forward in faith and not fear with decisive steps. And it was at that point in my life that I said, I don't want to be stuck here.

Because I saw how many people were there for years and years and years. And they were always talking about, I want to do my own thing. And they just kind of got married to the emotional. connection of being out Beyonce or even the financial stability, whatever that was. So many trappings that you could just take the easy way. Yeah, exactly. It was easy. But I really, it was at that moment where I was like, this is a stepping stone for me to

move back in. So I always kept my tabs, always moving in the jazz world. When I was on tour, I was reaching out to Ralph Peterson, T.S. Muck, letting them know, I'm home for this month. You guys have any gigs. Now, that's killing. I mean, you didn't have to do that. You could have just been like chilling in the Caribbean.

in between tours. This is true. No. But you know, that's good. Not just if you have the Beyonce gig and you want to do something else, but I think in general. Yeah. You know what I mean? Whatever you're doing to keep that kind of attitude in mind.

Yeah, because I think in the jazz. Yeah. And we've talked about this before on the show. It's like in the jazz world, we want to be like, oh, we're the jazz please. You can't do this. You can't do that. But it's not binary like that. There's so many great.

And that was a killing band, too. Like that was the whole thing about being an all female band. I always thought was a little bit of, I mean, that's a cool thing. visually and everything and the concept is great. But that was just a killing band, period. And I like it when it was kind of acknowledged as that. I mean, just slamming and very skillful and high level, you know, across the board. But, you know, those of us that have gone into different situations,

but besides just straight ahead jazz, there's a whole world of music out there and to bring the jazz seriousness and sensibility, but also to bring, you know, the pop, the pageantry and like, you know, I mean, the stuff to people actually, I mean, look, how many jazz, great jazz players are sitting around with, like, flannel shirts and jeans in a poorly lit club? Like, how come people don't like us? I'm like, dude, I'm a jazz musician. I don't like it. I'm depressed, man.

And so it's like now what you bring with your albums and your live show, I remember seeing you at Atlanta Jazz Festival last summer, but that was such a fun show. And, like, I mean, you're bad and you were just killing. But you also had enough, like, just the right amount of that show element. Like, your programming is killing. Like it was just like I was over there dancing on the side of the stage, you know. And then I remember you looked over and kind of smiled. And I was getting so excited. I thought you were like, sit in.

I was about, oh, no, you were just saying what's up. I was going. Yeah. So I kind of, I took a couple. You thought you had the dance card pulled. Yeah, yeah. No, I thought she was called me up to sit in. I thought I took a couple steps.

And then I was like, I'm pretending like I was just dancing to play it off. I'll catch you later. I'll catch you later. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. So let's talk about Diamond Cut, your latest record.

First of all, you're like one of the longest tenured artists, I believe, on Mac Avenue at this point. Is this four? No, this is five. Five. Five. Yeah. No, this is four for Mac Avenue. Yeah, one to, so five total.

Okay. Yeah. But, I mean, you've been like, you know, really associated with the ascendancy of the label as really like a serious, you know, force in the jazz world at a time when everything's been so unstable with the recording industry in general. But the great thing that's happening now is you're nominated. for a Grammy best jazz album of the year, right? Yes. Yeah. And that's coming up in a couple weeks,

and we're like super proud and excited about that. Oh, thank you for your love, Peter. And mainly just because of you and because the album's killing. And, you know, we were listened to a little bit on the way in. But you were mentioning something, too, about the number of women that have been nominated in this category and how you're actually the second after whatever 60, 70 years. Wow. Of the recording academy.

So ironically enough, I mean, not ironically, but. Terry Lynn Carrington produced the album and she just put her thing on it. Like she has, I couldn't have done this without her by any means. Just even on the forefront of the recording, I remember being on tour with her. We were in Europe and we were walking through the airport. She was like, Tia, this next album, because I wanted to do a funk album or a groove. She was like, no, you really need to just kind of dig the point that your bona fide jazz musician, get some cats on there that are legends, Dave Hall and Jack.

So it was from that. from her guidance and her wisdom, she's led me all the way through this process, which is really a blessing. And ironically enough, she is the only other female leader who has been nominated in the best jazz instrumental album category for 61 years. There were, in the research, Mary Lou Williams was a side woman with some band,

and I don't know what year that was, and then Esperanz, Espald, Spalding was also a side woman nominated with the Joe LeVano, us five. But other than that, there haven't been any other. Not even nominations, we're not even talking about winning. Exactly, nominations. But Terry won. Yeah.

Terry was nominated. She was the first one to be nominated and to win. And that was in 2014. Right. So, yeah. I mean, I think that to me is, I just pray that it's a way that we're changing. more of the landscape. It's happening slowly but surely,

but changing more of the landscape of what this jazz looks like and what the true story is and not just his story. Right. Because the more research than I do, Mary Lou Williams taught Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Funk.

They used to go to her place, you know, after gigs in Harlem, and they were studying with her or Lil Harden Armstrong, you know, held the ladder, really, that Louis Armstrong climbed on. She was responsible for his arrangements for the hot five and hot seven arrangements.

It really pioneered his career to say, you need to go out and be your own, a leader. Mel Balliston, you know, was writing arrangements for J.L. Clayton. And it's so many other Vi-Red, Viola by Dave Burnside, I'm sorry. Her classmates were Sunny Rawlins, Coleman Hawkins. And then Vi-Red was on tour, saxophonist and flound, saxophonist and singer, she was on tour with Cal Bacy Orchestra. So all these women throughout the history have always been there.

Yeah. You know? And I mean, not to mention Hazel Scott. God, dog. I was watching some videos of her. And she was like one of the first black women to have her own show and then be also featured in Hollywood. But it was so much emotional strain based off of her having to feel like

politically she had to uplift, keep herself uplift. in the high racial times and, you know, sexist, and she just got tired and kind of just stopped. But so I'm seeing that throughout now, I'm praying that more visibility will give more light to what the landscape should look like. Yeah. You know, on the scene, especially, I mean, Gremlin Awards are great, but really what's being reflecting

as to what is really happening out there on that scene. Yeah. But I think it's important, you know, even there's a symbolic, symbolic element to it. And we all know, like, when the Grammy, sometimes a great record doesn't win or doesn't, you know, it doesn't. But even just the nomination thing and being in that character, I think that I agree. I really hope and pray. And it feels like we are entering a period now where the floodgates are going to be kind of open.

And it's not going to be like one every couple of years as far as a woman being nominated, I think. Because there's so much great material and so many great young women coming up now that we know about the people haven't even heard about that they're going to be doing records. in a couple of years. Yeah. And I think that, you know, we need to keep pushing. Yeah, you know, the history that you just went through, that needs to be taught more and more intensely to both young women and young men. Exactly.

You see those people, you know, as idols to look up to. Yeah, the lineage. See themselves, you know. Yeah, yeah. I have this PowerPoint presentation on history of women in jazz. And so, I mean, of course, those are forefront my mind because it's, you know, their images that I've really dug into. And I'm like, man, I didn't even know half this stuff

until I really started to seek it out. And it was as a woman, but I think even when I show it to my young men in masterclasses, they even find it really interesting and empowering for them. Yeah. And then there's the whole other side, and I want to get back into that album, because I'm like, I want to hear the tune again

so I can shed it for tonight. But the, you know, like Shirley Horn. It's cheating, man. That's cheating. You know, whatever. in jazz, of course, that women have always gotten a fair amount of accolades as vocalists, of course, but

like Shirley Horn is somebody that I'm always telling young pianists, female or male. I'm like, check out Shirley Horn's piano playing. I mean, of course, amazing singer. But I mean, she was one of the best pianists of her generation, very innovative in a lot of ways, and there's a lot to learn. And I think there's so much to be celebrated in this music,

and it's fun to even just bring up names of things, and then people, because people, you know, for me, I'm like, I'm going to go check that out and we can access all this. as like the internet doesn't just have to be a place to go seek crap and people arguing with each other. Hey, hey, that's the premise of our show. Oh, that's true. That's right.

Yeah, we can do a little bit. But there's something to learn here. All right, let's get into a diamond cut. So we started off the episode here with The Coming. Yeah. And we're going to check out in the trenches. Is that right? Yep.

In the Trench. Can I actually preface? Well, the coming is really special and dear to my heart because it's based off of a book that one of my spiritual advisors back in Atlanta, Dr. Daniel Black, that he's written. And the coming is basically a story of the middle passage and the African's narrative, an African enslaved narrative as to what that was like. And so at the beginning of the song, we heard the African drums, but the song is really, it's a smaller version of a suite that I want to do. And it really captures four. The first, the first thing is, um, it captures like the Africans,

being captured on the land and then the transition to the boat and then being on the plantation and then either choosing freedom either through death or or actually life and and getting become free themselves. So yeah, that's I just want to share that. Is the sweet written yet or is it just this one? It's just the it's just this song but I haven't I haven't really formulated this sweet as. Sounds amazing. Yeah. No, but the stories that you have with a lot of your conversations, It's been fun. Some of them I played with you before behind you and heard. And then when I hear the story, it like connects the different.

I mean, they stand great as just music, of course. But when you add in the story element and the narrative part of it, it's very exciting. Well, let's go out on In the Trenches. And Tia, thanks so much. Thank you. Thank you. And then by the time, what's the date of the Grammys? Oh, February 10th.

It's coming up soon. Okay, so this is going to be on before that. So everybody would be sending all of our listeners, sending you great energy. That's right. Nothing against the other nominees, but this Tia's year. This one, you know what I'm saying? We already put that out there. It's an honor just to be in the category, really.

Yeah, really. It's definitely. Well, best of luck. And thank you so much for being here. And so everybody, this is Diamond Cut, Tia Fuller, on Mac Avenue available on all the streaming places and all that. But you know what? Go ahead and buy a copy. Yeah, Amazon.

You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? See, these are cheap. And then you get to hold Tia in your hand. That's a nice thing, okay? Thank you so much. Thank you, Peter.

You'll hear it.