Professor Fuller Wails

As part of the American Jazz Museum's "Celebrating Women in Jazz" series, composer and saxophonist Tia Fuller opens a weekend engagement at the Blue Room (1616 East 18th Street) at 8:30 p.m. with Miriam Sullivan and Shamie Royston. Fuller's father played jazz bass, and her mother was a singer; like many kids from musical families, she studied multiple instruments in her youth. For a member of Beyonce's all-female touring band, Fuller has a surprisingly academic background. She followed up her music degree from Spelman College with a master's in jazz pedagogy from the University of Colorado-Boulder — that's right: She's so musical that she got specialized training just to teach jazz. Along with touring and recording, Fuller has taught music in colleges around the country.If you miss tonight's performance, you'll have a second chance tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20; a combination ticket to both performances is $30. Call 816-474-6262.
Sat., March 15, 2008