Curtis DuBois Fuller was an American jazz trombonist who lived from December 15, 1932, to May 8, 2021. He was part of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and helped create many well-known jazz recordings.

Early life

Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 1932. His birthdate was reported differently throughout his life because he added two years to his age at 17 to help him get a job. His father had moved from Jamaica and worked in a Ford factory, but he died of tuberculosis before his son was born. His mother, who had moved from Atlanta, died when Curtis was nine. He lived in an orphanage operated by Jesuits for several years. Fuller became interested in jazz after a nun took him to see Illinois Jacquet and his band, which included J. J. Johnson on trombone.

Fuller attended public school in his hometown with other students, including Paul Chambers, Donald Byrd, Tommy Flanagan, Thad Jones, and Milt Jackson. After trying the violin, and since the saxophone (his next choice) was not available, he began playing the trombone at 16. He studied under Johnson and Elmer James.

Career

Fuller joined the U.S. Army in 1953 to serve in the Korean War. He remained in the military until 1955 and played music in an army band with Chambers and the brothers Cannonball and Nat Adderley. After returning from his military service, Fuller joined a group of five musicians led by Yusef Lateef, another musician from Detroit. This group moved to New York in 1957, and Fuller made his first recordings as a leader for Prestige Records.

Alfred Lion, who worked for Blue Note Records, first heard Fuller playing with Miles Davis in the late 1950s. Fuller led four recording sessions for Blue Note, although one album he made with Slide Hampton was not released for many years. Lion also included Fuller as a supporting musician on recordings led by Sonny Clark (Dial "S" for Sonny, Sonny's Crib) and John Coltrane (Blue Train). In the following decade, Fuller appeared on recordings with other musicians, including Bud Powell, Jimmy Smith, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, and Joe Henderson (who had been a roommate at Wayne State University in 1956).

Fuller was the first trombonist to join the Art Farmer–Benny Golson Jazztet. In 1961, he became the sixth member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and remained with Blakey until 1965. In the early 1960s, Fuller recorded two albums as a leader for Impulse! Records. He also made recordings for Savoy Records, United Artists, and Epic after completing his work for Blue Note. In the late 1960s, Fuller was part of Dizzy Gillespie’s band, which included Foster Elliott. He also toured with Count Basie and reunited with Blakey and Golson.

Later life

Fuller married Catherine Rose Driscoll in 1980. Catherine passed away from lung cancer in 2010. In 2011, Fuller released an album titled The Story of Cathy & Me to honor her memory.

In 1999, Fuller received an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music. In 2007, he was recognized as an NEA Jazz Master. Throughout his later years, he continued to perform and record music. He also taught at the New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) School of Jazz Studies.

Fuller died on May 8, 2021, at the age of 88. He had eight children, nine grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

Discography

• Basie Big Band (Pablo Records, 1975)
• I Told You So (Pablo Records, 1976)
• Prime Time (Pablo Records, 1977)
• Fun Time (Pablo Records, 1991) – recorded in 1975

• One Foot in the Gutter (Epic Records, 1960)
• Gettin' Into Somethin' (Epic Records, 1960)
• Bash! (Jazzline Records, 1961)/ Modern Mainstream (Fontana Records, 1963)

• Art Blakey!!!!! Jazz Messengers!!!!! (Impulse! Records, 1961)
• Mosaic (Blue Note Records, 1961)
• Three Blind Mice (United Artists Records, 1962)
• Caravan (Riverside Records, 1962)
• Ugetsu (Riverside Records, 1963)
• The African Beat (Blue Note Records, 1962)
• Buhaina's Delight (Blue Note Records, 1963)
• Golden Boy (Colpix Records, 1963)
• Free For All (Blue Note Records, 1965)
• 'S Make It (Limelight Records, 1965)
• Indestructible (Blue Note Records, 1966)
• Kyoto (Riverside Records, 1966)
• Thermo (Milestone Records, 1973)
• In My Prime Vol. 1 (Timeless Records, 1978)
• Live at the Renaissance Club (Blue Note Records, 1978)
• Live Messengers (Blue Note Records, 1978)

• Dial "S" for Sonny (Blue Note Records, 1957)
• Sonny's Crib (Blue Note Records, 1958)

• Blue Train (Blue Note Records, 1958)
• Tanganyika Strut (Savoy Records, 1958) – Sonny Rollins co-led with Wilbur Harden
• Jazz Way Out (Savoy Records, 1958) – same as Tanganyika Strut
• Dial Africa: The Savoy Sessions (Savoy Records, 1977) – reissue of the 1958 Savoy sessions
• Gold Coast (Savoy Records, 1978) – recorded in 1958

• This Is the Moment! (Riverside Records, 1958)
• Hot Stuff from Brazil (West Wind Records, 1988)

• Brass Shout (United Artists Records, 1959)
• Meet the Jazztet (Argo Records, 1960)
• Jazztet, Back to the City (Contemporary Records, 1986)
• Jazztet, Real Time (Contemporary Records, 1988)

• It's Prime Time (Eighty-Eight's Records, 2003)
• Drumspeak (Commodore Records, 2006)

• Groovin' with Golson (New Jazz Records, 1959)
• The Other Side of Benny Golson (Riverside Records, 1959)
• Gone with Golson (New Jazz Records, 1960)
• Gettin' with It (New Jazz Records, 1960)
• Take a Number from 1 to 10 (Argo Records, 1961)
• Pop + Jazz = Swing (Audio Fidelity Records, 1962)/ Just Jazz! (Audio Fidelity Records, 1965)
• California Message (Baystate Records, 1981)
• One More Mem'ry (Baystate Records, 1982)

• Hamp in Haarlem (Timeless Records, 1979)
• Live in Europe (Elite Special Records, 1980)
• Outrageous (Glad-Hamp Records, 1982)

• The Thumper (Riverside Records, 1960)
• Love and Understanding (Muse Records, 1973)
• Fast Company (Milestone Records, 1975)
• The Time and the Place (Landmark Records, 1994)

• Mode for Joe (Blue Note Records, 1966)
• In Pursuit of Blackness (Milestone Records, 1971)

• The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard (Impulse! Records, 1963)
• The Body & the Soul (Impulse! Records, 1963)

With Philly Joe Jones

• Drums Around the World (Riverside Records, 1959)
• Together! (Atlantic Records, 1964)

• Newport '61 (Mercury Records, 1961)
• The Quintessence (Impulse! Records, 1962)

• Jazz for the Thinker (Savoy Records, 1957)
• Stable Mates (Savoy Records, 1957)
• Jazz Mood (Savoy Records, 1957)
• Before Dawn: The Music of Yusef Lateef (Verve Records, 1957)
• This Is the Moment! (Riverside Records, 1958)

• Hot Stuff from Brazil (West Wind Records, 1988)

• Brass Shout (United Artists Records, 1959)
• Meet the Jazztet (Argo Records, 1960)
• Jazztet, Back to the City (Contemporary Records, 1986)
• Jazztet, Real Time (Contemporary Records, 1988)

• It's