Interview: Champian Fulton & Klas Lindquist Get Intimate in New Album AT HOME

Pianist/vocalist Champian Fulton and saxophonist/clarinetist/composer Klas Lindquist’s latest album, At Home, comes out today, May 2nd, 2025 from Turtle Bay Records. The title perfectly captures the spirit and intention of the new LP, which was literally recorded “at home” in the living room of Turtle Bay Records founder Scott Asen, who produced the album. A collection of standards tamed and delivered with distinguished finesse, At Home is Fulton’s first set of duets with Swedish reed virtuoso Lindquist, but glimmers like an ornate, timeless antique vase that gives each of its observers pause.

The album is Fulton’s 19th as a bandleader, and a fresh addition to Lindquist’s 40-something recordings as a featured soloist. This project originated from a performance Fulton and Lindquist gave at a dinner party that Asen hosted in his home, which inspired him to recreate the musical experience in the very same space, providing the musicians with an informal, private environment free of the constraints of a studio.

We spoke with Champian Fulton and Klas Lindquist about the album and how the unusual recording format informed it.

Where did the idea for the concept of this album come from?

KL: I love to play in the duo format, and I also love the way Champian plays around me. In addition to that, she also sings, which makes us a trio! That is even better. 

CF: I also love to play duo, as you know I've made quite a few duo albums. But in this case, I think it's special, because the concept for this record really grew out of how we like to spend our time together at home. In our free time away from gigging we enjoy playing together as a duo - trying new tunes in different keys and thinking of small arrangements. Often in the evening we will play just to wind down from the day. 

How did it feel recording this album in producer Scott Asen's living room as opposed to a more formal recording studio?

CF: I think it felt different from a studio because not only is it a home, but it's actually quite a beautiful home and in that way, I found it inspiring. It's more casual to be in the same room as opposed to isolated at a studio, and I really enjoyed that. 

Can you walk us through the process of arranging one of the tracks on the album?

CF: In general, it's a very loose album; because we are so familiar with each other's music, we don't need to have a lot of plans. However, the song written by Blossom Dearie, "I Was Looking for You," took on a bit of an arrangement, because I was inspired to connect that song with one of my favorite Jay McShann recordings, "Yardbird Suite." I thought we should take the intro from Jay McShann (it's a solo piano record) and we should both play it, as an ensemble, and then the vocals should come in with the melody and the piano should keep the Jay McShann vibe. So that was really fun to work on and play, and then we also filmed this song for one of the music videos. I really love this song, and I was also happy to see it is not commonly played or recorded.

Jazz historian Ricky Riccardi noted the accessibility of your album to listeners who may not be as familiar with jazz. Was that important to you?

KL: I want my music to be appealing to everybody - not only Jazz fans. 

CF: I always think of a famous interview with Duke Ellington where the journalist asks him about his music being appealing to his "people", and Duke answers that his people are "the people." I want my music to be appreciated by everyone, you don't need to be a Jazz fan. 

Who would you recommend this album for?

KL & CF: We see it as a record for playing in the evenings after work, on a late Saturday afternoon after being out in the garden, for Sunday mornings, at a dinner party. We think this record is a record for anytime you want to be in a relaxed good mood. 

Aside from this album, what else have you been working on lately? Do you have any other upcoming projects?

CF: Klas and I are working on a new Nonet project. Klas has a longtime nine-piece band in Sweden and we are working on arrangements featuring me on piano and voice with his band. We are debuting several of the charts in May at Fasching in Stockholm and in October I will present the Nonet arrangements every Sunday at Birdland in NYC. We hope to record this project in early 2026. 

KL: Champian and I have lots of performances in Europe, but we would like to work together in the USA, so I have been spending a lot of time preparing to apply for an Artist Visa. I am turning 50 in May, and I am having a big gala in Stockholm on May 6 where Champian is a featured guest; that is where we will be debuting the Nonet material. 

Header photo of Champian Fulton and Klas Lindquist by Aidan Grant

Learn more about the artists on their websites at www.champian.net and www.klaslindquist.com