With a graduate degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado, saxophonist/flautist Tia Fuller was armed and ready to make her mark in jazz, and seemed to be on target with her 2005 debut recording, Pillar of Strength (Wambui). On a lark, she tried out for a spot in Beyonce’s band, and has been on tour with the R&B star for much of the past four years. She’s managed to keep her jazz chops sharp with gigs with the likes of Ralph Peterson, T.S. Monk, and Sean Jones, as well as another recording with her own band, Healing Space (2007, Mack Avenue). This week, Tia releases Decisive Steps, the title aptly suggesting that she is moving “decisively” along the path of her muses, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Earl Bostic. 

The core of Fuller’s band are long-time cohorts, sister Shamie Royston on piano, Miriam Sullivan on bass and Kim Richmond on drums, with special guests, trumpeter Sean Jones, bassist Christian McBride, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and tap dancer Maurice Chestnut. Drawing influences from jazz, blues and gospel, Decisive Steps includes six compositions from the leader, one from sister Shamie Royston, one from brother-in-law Rudy Royston, and 2 covers. 

The leader’s title track launches the album with confidence and heat as Tia’s alto blazes from top to bottom and Richmond’s percussion offers fierce propulsion. Sullivan stokes the fire without pause and Royston offers an impressive solo. From this crackling beginning, the quartet adds Sean Jones’ voice to Shamie’s “Windsoar,” with the trumpeter offering an initially gentle response to Tia’s fireworks before rising to the top. It’s a double bass fantasy on Tia’s “Ebb and Flow” as Christian McBride’s electric bass pairs with Sullivan on acoustic, and, with Shamie on Rhodes, there’s a funky sway that “ebbs and flows” with Fuller and Jones riding the waves. 

“I Can’t Get Started” actually starts out beautifully with a prologue from Tia before she’s joined (only) by Warren Wolf on vibes and McBride on acoustic bass, the latter offering a melodic and acrobatic solo that leads into Wolf’s elegant segment. Tia returns with her own eloquent closing. Tia’s “Kissed by the Sun” has a tropical undertow thanks to the bossa-like drive of the rhythm section and lush harmonies from Fuller and Jones. “Steppin’” is a brief 30-second interlude featuring the tapping feet of Maurice Chestnut, followed by Tia’s spiraling phrases on “Shades of McBride”, a reworking of the bassist’s “Shade of the Cedar Tree” that also features some sparkling twists from Wolf. The young vibes master adds further luster to Tia’s “Clear Mind,” while bassist Sullivan adds exquisite statements of her own, as she does again on the following “Night Glow,” penned by Rudy Royston. 

Arlen/Mercer’s “My Shining Hour” closes a very satisfying set with a caustic display from Richmond and generally high-flying artistry from the full quartet. With or without the security of Beyonce, Decisive Steps is Fuller’s “Shining Hour” and, no doubt, there are many more to come.

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