Champian Fulton - After Dark (2016)

Called “a charming young steward of the mainstream Jazz tradition" by the New York Times, Champian's new release features songs made popular by The Queen of the Blues, Dinah Washington.

Champian's new album, "After Dark", features the music of Dinah Washington. Let her tell you the story of how this record came to be;

"The first time I heard Dinah Washington, I was a little girl. I fell in love with her big voice and clean phrasing while listening to “The Fats Waller Songbook” and “For Those In Love.” The sound of her voice was everything I wanted to be: strong and sassy; she was clearly having fun in her life. I became completely obsessed. I listened to her records so much that I easily memorized every word and every note. Clark Terry, a family friend, thought it was most amusing to have me sing his solos, as well as Jimmy Cleveland’s and Wynton Kelly’s, while we were at parties. I can remember him telling his friends Joe Williams and Sir Roland Hanna, among others, that I could recite the entire album. On occasion he would ask me to sing “Long John, The Dentist”, which is a rather risqué tune, but of course the humor of an 8-year-old girl singing that song was lost on me until I was much older.

As I grew up, I discovered Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Helen Humes… But I always came back to Dinah. I collected her entire discography, read everything about her, and asked all my musician friends if they had known her. The more I heard and learned, the more I was fascinated. Every musician I spoke to admired her artistic integrity, her ability to make a hit recording in one take, and her no-nonsense attitude.

I have never loved the idea of a “tribute” record, but in the past few years I have been revisiting Dinah’s music more and more. She has comforted me when I needed it, made me laugh, and warmed my heart. In recording this album of her songs, I hope to do the same for you. I hope this record makes you smile, feel loved, and brightens your evenings. Put it on in those quiet moments After Dark.

Tracklist:

1. Ain't Misbehavin'
2. That Old Feeling
3. What a Difference a Day Made
4. Blue Skies
5. Keepin' Out of Mischief
6. A Bad Case of the Blues
7. Travelin' Light
8. Mad About the Boy
9. All of Me
10. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
11. Midnight Stroll