Jeff Fuller & Friends

Jeff Fuller – bass
Ben Bilello – drums
Darren Litzie – piano

Jazz Bass

An integral part of the Connecticut, New York and international jazz scenes, Fuller has toured worldwide and recorded with saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Paquito D’Rivera.  He has played with jazz masters from all styles and eras including such diverse artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Mose Allison, “Papa” Jo Jones, Gerry Mulligan, and Clark Terry.  Fuller is one of the most sought after jazz bassists in Connecticut, and currently leads his own ensembles in many venues.

Fuller’s trio, Jeff Fuller & Friends, features Darren Litzie on piano and Ben Bilello on drums.  The trio has released five CDs featuring their original compositions and their novel arrangements of select jazz standards: The Call From Within (2014), Shoreline Blues (2016), Happenstance (2018),Round & Round (2020), and their latest, Keep Hope Alive (2022).

Latin Jazz

Fuller has wide experience in both Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music. He has toured with Paquito D’Rivera’s New York/Havana Quintet, the Hilton Ruiz Quintet, Daniel Ponce’s Jazzbatá and Orlando “Puntilla” Rios’ Nueva Generación. He composes and arranges for the top salsa group, Irazú, whose CDs have featured soloists Arturo Sandoval and Tata Güines. Fuller’s Latin jazz big band and combo arrangements are frequently performed worldwide and are published by 3-2 Music, the predominant distributor of written Latin jazz. He is co-leader of the popular group, Sambeleza, which features singer/pianist Isabella Mendes and guitarist Joe Carter.  His earlier Brazilian jazz group, Samba Brasil, was seven-time winner of the “Best Latin” category in the Hartford Advocate Reader’s Poll.

Composer/Educator

Always expanding his compositional repertoire and vocabulary, Fuller has received commissions from both the New Haven and the Hartford Symphony Orchestras and has twice received project grants from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.  He is currently completing his AfroCuban Suite for the Yale Concert Band. He has been the recipient of multiple commissions from 3-2 Music, Florida International University, Yale University and UConn.  His String Quartet was recorded by the Haven String Quartet in 2012.  Fuller graduated cum laude from Yale College and received his master’s degree in composition from the Yale School of Music. In 2014, he was presented with the annual Jazz Haven Award, “For all you have done in presenting and preserving the culture and music of jazz.”  Fuller plays a custom-made Upton Concord double bass, and a Ken Smith 6-string bass guitar.

Jeff Fuller – bass Ben Bilello – drums Darren Litzie – piano Whether performing on stage and in clubs, teaching jazz and coaching ensembles, or composing and arranging in his home studio, Jeff Fuller brings great joy and a wealth of knowledge and experience to all his musical endeavors.

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