Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Curtis Fuller: Down Home

Curtis Fuller: Down Home

By Florence Wetzel
May 7, 2012
View read count

The jazz world of the fifties and sixties was undeniably a golden age, and legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller was one of the era's key voices. Throughout his sixty-year career, Fuller has worked with some of jazz's foundational players: he appears on saxophonist

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's Blue Train (Blue Note, 1957), he was part of drummer

Art Blakey

drums
1919 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey's smoking hot, early sixties Jazz Messengers, plus he worked with trumpeters

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie and

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis, saxophonists

Hank Mobley

saxophone, tenor
1930 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Mobley and

Benny Golson

saxophone, tenor
1929 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Golson, bassists

Paul Chambers

bass, acoustic
1935 - 1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Chambers and

Jimmy Garrison

bass, acoustic
1934 - 1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Garrison, and pianists

Bud Powell

piano
1924 - 1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Bud Powell and

Red Garland

piano
1923 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Red Garland. In short, he was there. But unlike so many others, Fuller is still here and still going strong, as witnessed by Down Home, his excellent release from Colorado-based Capri Records.

Fuller is joined by his working group of the past seven years:

Keith Oxman

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Keith Oxman, who has joined the illustrious circle of Fuller's saxophone soul mates; the mighty

Alan Hood

trumpet
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Alan Hood, surely one of the most commanding trumpet voices in American jazz; nimble pianist

Chip Stephens

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Chip Stephens, who Fuller nicknamed "Fingers"; bassist

Ken Walker

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Walker, who anchors the group with buoyant swing and bottomless soul; and

Todd Reid

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Todd Reid, a perpetually tasteful drummer who keeps watertight time. One of the reasons this group is special is because its members have bonded deeply offstage as well as on. In Oxman's liner notes, he speaks of Fuller's belief that it's important to spend time with the people you play music with, and over the past years this group has done exactly that. As a result, all the musicians are wonderfully relaxed and responsive to one another; whether the group is performing live or in a recording studio, everyone sounds like they're having the time of their life.

The ten songs on Down Home are absolutely delectable, each one flawlessly executed with taste, energy, and heart. Fuller's soulful trombone and beautifully crafted solos provide the backbone, and the group is clearly galvanized by his wisdom and experience. Six of the tunes are Fuller originals, and it's an immense pleasure to hear classics such as "Down Home," "Nu Groove," "Ladies Night," "Mr. L," "Sweetness," and "The High Priest." But this CD is not a nostalgia trip—the music is happening right now, fresh and strong, simultaneously classic and new. And although most of the music is up-tempo and hard swinging, contrast is provided by Stephens' lovely "Sadness and Soul," as well as the ballad "Then I'll Be Tired of You," where Oxman's sax sounds like liquid gold as it pours through the touching melody.

This is archetypal jazz, nourishing hard-bop soul food to return to again and again. Long live Curtis Fuller! And long live this fantastic group, which shines throughout as it supports a jazz legend in his late-career renaissance.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Down Home; Ladies' Night; C Hip's Blues; Sadness and Soul; Nu Groove; Then I'll Be Tired of You; Mr. L; Sweetness; Jonli Bercosta; The High Priest.

Personnel

Curtis Fuller

trombone

Curtis Fuller: trombone; Keith Oxman: tenor sax; Al Hood: trumpet, flugelhorn; Chip Stephens: piano; Ken Walker: bass; Todd Reid: drums.

Album information

Title: Down Home | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Capri Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Adam Cruz: Making Some Room
< Previous

Vagabond
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.