From Beyonce to Pixar, Tia Fuller shines her light on jazz.听
Soon after Tia Fuller (MMus鈥00) vamped the red carpet at the Grammy Awards in March 2019, she got a call from a casting agent representing the animated Pixar film Soul.
鈥淭hey were looking for a saxophone player to play the music for a character (Dorothea Williams) who is a 鈥榖adass鈥 and has her own band in New York that every musician wants to be a part of 鈥 which was ironic,鈥 said Fuller, because her own quartet got its start in New York, and she, too, has a strong presence in the jazz community.
Without missing a beat, Fuller jumped at the chance. For her ensemble role in Soul, Fuller flew to Los Angeles. 鈥淲e received the music, rehearsed for a moment and then recorded it on the spot,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥極h man, this is major! This is where all the work and the sacrifice, hustle 鈥 all of the tools we鈥檝e developed over the years 鈥 come together. It is a blessing that I have this opportunity.鈥欌澨
While the Soul story was powerful for Fuller, she also celebrates Pixar鈥檚 commitment to cultural authenticity.
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鈥淭he story is deep,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t challenges us to look at our purpose and our spark. It really tapped into the essence of my life, and many of our lives as artists 鈥 especially now.鈥
Fuller has known since she was 23 years old that her purpose is to 鈥渂e light for others.鈥
As a rising-star performer and educator, she illuminates the jazz world. Back in 2006, she cut a very long audition line to earn a coveted spot in Beyonce鈥檚 all-female touring band. With her fifth LP, Diamond Cut, she became the second-ever female artist to be nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Today, she holds a full-time professorship at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, while continuing to record and tour.
But to live her truth, Fuller can鈥檛 improvise. 鈥淲ith every decision, I ask myself, 鈥榃ho am I helping? How am I tapping into my purpose? Is this in alignment with my crystallized vision for myself?鈥欌 Most of the time, the answer is 鈥淵es.鈥
鈥淲ith every decision, I ask myself, 鈥榃ho am I helping? How am I tapping into my purpose?听Is this in alignment with my crystallized vision for myself?鈥欌
Like Joe, the main character in Soul (played by Jamie Foxx), Fuller鈥檚 parents were public school teachers. They rehearsed in the basement and played gigs on weekends, while both becoming assistant principals with Denver Public Schools.
鈥淚鈥檓 from a spiritual and praying family,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a saying that鈥檚 been etched into my psyche since I was 3. It鈥檚 on a poster that鈥檚 still on my bedroom door: 鈥業f you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.鈥 When I asked my mother later, she said that she was positively brainwashing us!鈥澨
After high school in Aurora, Fuller earned her BA in music magna cum laude at Spelman College and her master鈥檚 in jazz pedagogy and performance summa cum laude at CU 麻豆影院. At CU, she began directing jazz ensembles and hosting master classes and clinics as a teaching assistant. She learned to teach theoretically, visually and analytically.
鈥淚n honoring that each student learns differently, it is always my goal to present material at least three different ways,鈥 she said.
麻豆影院 the relationship between performing and teaching, Fuller said, 鈥淚 think one complements the other. In performance, we are in a state of transcendence of communication, spirit and creativity. Teaching is a mirror; it allows for us to truly reflect on our process, and then articulate it to others.鈥
Fuller tells her students, 鈥淢usic teaches life skills. It鈥檚 an aural art form that activates seamless communication and interaction. When we go beyond playing the notes and melodies and tap into the self, we become vulnerable and transparent. We are able to inspire and empower each other in a metaphysical way.鈥
Now, that鈥檚 Soul!
Listen to an .
Photo courtesy Tia Fuller.
