Walter Fuller dies

[brownie]

From AP:

Walter Fuller=

SAN DIEGO (AP) _ Jazz trumpeter Walter Fuller, who helped establish the San Diego jazz scene in the 1940s and pushed for civil rights, died April 20. He was 93. He had been suffering from diabetes and related illnesses.

Born in Dyersburg, Tenn., Fuller grew up in Chicago and was influenced by Louis Armstrong. He joined pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines in 1930 and was credited with helping form his band's sound. Fuller was believed to be the group's last surviving original member.

Fuller also earned distinction for his singing and scatting on the band's 1933 hit "Rosetta," which became his signature tune and nickname.

He left the band in 1940 when Hines disbanded the orchestra, and Fuller started his own big band.

Fuller started playing in San Diego in the mid-1940s when he and a smaller version of his big band began a one-month engagement at the downtown Club Royal. Fuller remained at the club for a dozen years.

Fuller protested the club's policy of requiring black customers to stand in the rear of the building, even if seats were available in front. After threatening to fire him, the club's managers changed the policy to allow all customers to sit wherever they wanted.

Fuller also managed to change the listings in the local chapter of the musicians union, which separated whites and blacks. Eventually, every union chapter in the state redesigned its membership directory to alphabetize all members in one list.

In 1952, Fuller became the first black director on the local board of the musicians union, a position he held until retiring in 1986.

[mikeweil]

What is missing are his unvaluable contributions to the early Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and its circle. He was co-credited for Manteca, with Dizzy and Chano Pozo, among other things.

Must be hard to do a well researched obituary. When Mongo Santamaria died, a writer for one of Germany's leading daily newspapers wrote two paragraphs, the first was a superfluous history of Latin jazz, the second on Mongo inclued three biographical errors!

[JSngry]

I've always been perplexed by the comments of some (notably Budd Johnson) that Fuller was a bit of a scam artist - relying heavily on ghost writers and otherwise getting credit (and money) not really due him. Surely his track record speaks for itself?

[bertrand]

Jim,

Interesting. I heard the same thing from a bigwig in the jazz publishing business (who will remain nameless).

Bertrand.

[sidewinder]

Presumably this is Walter 'Gil' Fuller, arranger for the early Gillespie Big Band and the reunions at Monterey in 66 and the Europe tour shortly thereafter. Sorry to hear this. I'll give the 'Monterey' and 'Reunion Big Band' LPs a spin a bit later. Both are exceptional and a fitting tribute ..

[Michael Fitzgerald]

No, this is NOT Walter Gilbert Fuller (1920-1994), this is Walter Fuller (1910-2003)

So only the original post in this thread relates to the person in question.

Mike

[sidewinder]

Thanks for the clarification. First post content makes a lot more sense now ..

[mikeweil]

Yeah, thanks for clarification. I should have checked the year of birth first ....