Curtis Fuller

• Genre: Hard Bop

About

Curtis Fuller plays the slide trombone with astonishing virtuosity, boasting a huge, rounded tone and a punchy, lightning-quick attack that recalls the legendary J. J. Johnson. Fuller's prodigious technique led many jazz greats, such as John Coltrane, to enlist him as a sideman (he appeared on Trane's classic 1957 album Blue Train). Between 1957 and 1960, Fuller recorded a series of albums as a leader, including the classic Blues-ette, featuring tenor saxophonist Benny Golson and pianist Tommy Flanagan. In 1959, Fuller co-founded the Jazztet with Golson and trumpeter Art Farmer, and toured with them for several years. Since making a comeback in the late ‘70s, Fuller has recorded a number of recent albums, most notably Blues-ette II, a reunion of the original group.

- Noah Enelow