Larry Fuller Trio at Kerrytown Concert House
Toledo-born Larry Fuller returned to Ann Arbor on December 6 for a concert at Kerrytown Concert House with his New York trio. It was a nice homecoming, with friends and family in the audience including Ron Brooks, who used to run the Bird of Paradise where Fuller played frequently. It was at the Bird that Fuller met and first played with vocalist Ernestine Anderson, for whom he became the musical director for many years.
It was a well-paced concert, where he breezed through standards like “Old Devil Moon,” “Django,” and “Tin Tin Deo.” For the latter he used a Ray Brown arrangement he played in Brown’s trio. Fuller’s ability to really turn on the groove was evident in another Brown number, “Line With A Groove,” where bassist George DeLancey and drummer Jason Tiemann contributed mightily.
The night ended appropriately with a festive gospel/blues number.