Based out of New York City, Yamaha-endorsed LARRY FULLER is one of the premier mainstream jazz pianists living today. Fuller has collaborated with the biggest names in jazz:  Ray Brown, Ernestine Anderson, Jeff Hamilton, John Pizzarelli, and others.

Harnessing his unique bandstand experience with the giants, Fuller leads THE LARRY FULLER TRIO, generating hard-swinging, emotive and electrifying live performances.  On his live shows:

“For anyone steeped in jazz, it just can’t get much better”

~ Downbeat writer, Mark Sheldon

Fuller has performed at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Shanghai Center Theater, Blue Note (NYC, Milan, Tokyo), and many more!

Read on to learn about Larry’s journey as a professional pianist.

 Raised in Toledo, Ohio, Fuller began his musical studies at age 11, immediately showing a talent for jazz.  At the extraordinary age of 13, Floyd “Candy” Johnson, a veteran of the Count Basie and Duke Ellington Orchestras, took Fuller under his wing, hiring him for regular paying gigs.  In his early years, Fuller became a regular on the Midwest jazz circuit, performing frequently in Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Larry Fuller as a young man with his mentor, Candy Johnson, on saxophone.

From 1988-1993, Fuller worked with vocal great Ernestine Anderson, and moved to Seattle as her pianist and musical director. He performed and recorded with Anderson including on her GRAMMY-nominated CD, Now and Then.

In 1994, Fuller joined the trio of world-renowned drummer Jeff Hamilton, a 12-year associate of the Ray Brown Trio and member of the bands of Gene Harris and Oscar Peterson.  Fuller performed with and recorded numerous Jeff Hamilton Trio classics, including Live!, It’s Hamilton Time, and Live at Steamers.

In 2000, Fuller joined the Ray Brown Trio.  Ray’s place in jazz history is well known, from the days of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band to his long-standing association with Oscar Peterson.  Larry had the honor of manning the keys as Brown’s last pianist.

From 2005-2013, Fuller performed with guitar and vocal great John Pizzarelli, touring and recording as part of the  John Pizzarelli Quartet.  Recordings include With a Song in My Heart, Double Exposure and Rockin’ In Rhythm.  The International Review of Music recognized Larry’s contributions on Rockin’ In Rhythm: “pianist Larry Fuller’s brilliant work throughout – especially the buoyant stride solo – nearly steals the record”.

Since 2013 – harnessing his unique bandstand collaborations with four very different jazz giants – Fuller has led the Larry Fuller Trio, performing prestigious venues and festivals internationally. Fuller presents a musical program rarely experienced live today, receiving consistent praise for his emotive, swinging style, monster technique and program versatility. The Vancouver Sun called Larry Fuller Trio’s recent appearance at TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival one of the two-week festival’s “top 10 highlights that took our breath away and made us gaze in wonder”.

Photo by Marzena Manganaro

In September 2014, Fuller’s chart-topping, self-titled album was released on Capri Records (Hassan Shakur on bass, Gregory Hutchinson on drums).  The album received consistently exceptional praise.  JazzTimes stated: “Fuller’s polished technique stems from two of his main influences, Oscar Peterson and Phineas Newborn, Jr., to which is added the blues acumen of a Gene Harris and the swinging drive of a Monty Alexander”.

In 2019, Fuller’s much anticipated new album, “OVERJOYED” was released on Capri Records.  The album features a variety of swinging pieces – from Wes Montgomery to Stevie Wonder, George Gershwin to Ray Brown.  And even a few Larry Fuller originals!  The majority of tracks showcase Larry’s favorite format, The Trio, with two jazz greats who Larry loves making music with:  Hassan Shakur on bass, Lewis Nash on drums.

Larry Fuller is a Yamaha-endorsed Artist.  He owns a Yamaha C2 and an MX 80 PE upright as his personal instruments.  Throughout his 35-year career dedicated to playing pianos, Fuller has preferred playing Yamaha pianos because of the consistency of quality that Yamaha achieves throughout its entire line of instruments.  He also appreciates the strength and durability of Yamaha pianos and the sound, dynamic range, and touch which allow him to express his music to the fullest.

In addition to the legends mentioned above, Fuller has appeared with Harry “Sweets” Edison, Stanley Turrentine, Phil Woods, Clark Terry, Herb Ellis, Marlena Shaw, Kevin Mahogany, John Clayton, John Heard, Bennie Golson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Emily Remler, Jimmy Witherspoon, Houston Person, Eddie Harris, Anita O’Day, Steve Allen, Regina Carter, Nicholas Payton, John Legend, and others.

Larry Fuller has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops, Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, Bern International Jazz Festival, TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Shanghai Center Theater, the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) Music Theater, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley Seattle, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Blue Note (Milan, Tokyo, and NYC), A-Train (Berlin), Widderbar (Zurich), Tbilisi Event Hall, Porgy & Bess (Vienna), Duc des Lombards (Paris), and so many more.