Following a student-led opening act, Jeff Fuller and his trio performs for day 2 of the ninth annual YUJC Jazz Festival!
Whether performing, teaching, or composing, bassist Jeff Fuller brings great joy and a wealth of experience to all his musical endeavors. One of the most sought-after jazz bassists in Connecticut, Fuller has also 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, and Gerry Mulligan. In 2014, Fuller was presented with the annual Jazz Haven Award, “For all you have done in presenting and preserving the culture and music of jazz.”
His current group, Jeff Fuller & Friends, features Darren Litzie on piano and Ben Bilello on drums. Together they have released five albums featuring their original music: The Call From Within (2014), Shoreline Blues (2016), Happenstance (2018), Round & Round (2020) and their newest, Keep Hope Alive (2022).
Pianist/composer Darren Litzie studied jazz with Jim McNeely, Mike Holober, and Jimmy Greene. He has performed with such artists as Andrew Beals, Chris Morrison, Thierry Arpino, and Harvie S. Darren completed a three-year stint with the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, where he had several of his works premiered in concert by the BMI Jazz Orchestra. He currently leads his own eight-piece jazz ensemble, “The Saxtet,” is an adjunct professor of music at Sacred Heart University, and has a new CD, “My Horizon,” on Summit Records.
Ben Bilello studied at the Hartt School of Music with Glen Velez, Michael Carvin, and Tony Leone. Since graduating, Ben has performed and recorded with Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Henderson, Curtis Fuller, Joe Wilder, Branford Marsalis, Anthony Braxton, Javon Jackson, Charles Flores, Steve Davis, Jimmy Greene, Josh Evans, Wayne Escoffery, and Dezron Douglas/New Jazz Workshop, among many others. At this time, Ben can be seen performing with his own trio, Earl MacDonald’s Yankee Gumbo Ensemble, Atla & Matt DeChamplain, bassist Jeff Fuller, and many others.
