Jeff Fuller & Friends at Best Video Fri., Jan. 30, 7 PM

Name: Jeff Fuller & Friends at Best Video Fri., Jan. 30, 7 PM
Start: 2026-01-30T19:00:00-05:00
Location: 1842 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT, United States, Connecticut 06517

Schedule

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026 at 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

1842 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT, United States, Connecticut 06517 | Hamden, CT

Jeff Fuller & Friends play a concert of jazz at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Fri., Jan. 30. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $20.
Bassist Jeff Fuller will be joined by Naomi Wharry on trombone and vocals, Nigel Regan on alto sax, Darren Litzie on piano, and Ryan Sands on drums.
Whether performing, teaching or composing, Jeff Fuller brings great joy and a wealth of experience to his musical endeavors. A highly sought after jazz bassist, his long career has found him working as both leader and sideman with diverse groups playing all styles of jazz. Fuller has toured worldwide and recorded with saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Paquito D’Rivera, and has played with jazz masters from all eras, including such historic artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Mose Allison, “Papa” Jo Jones, Gerry Mulligan, and Clark Terry. His working trio, featuring Darren Litzie on piano and Ben Bilello on drums, has released five CDs of original music and standards. In 2014, he was presented with the Jazz Haven Award, “For all you have done in presenting and preserving the culture and music of jazz.” In September, Fuller’s expanded group will kick off the 2026 YSM Duke Elllington Fellowship concert series. Jeff’s compositions are frequently performed by jazz and classical ensembles, and his Latin jazz arrangements are published by Three-Two Music. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale School of Music and has taught with the YUJC lesson program and the YSM Jazz Initiative.
Hailing from Oklahoma, Naomi Wharry is a multi-faceted trombonist and vocalist. Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in classical trombone at the Yale School of Music, Naomi enjoys playing both classical and jazz music, believing that beautiful music comes from everywhere and should be explored freely. She has shared the stage with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, John Daversa, Patrick Bartley, and many others. As a jazz musician in Oklahoma City, she brought regular jazz shows to the city including gigs with her quartet as well as her tribute to Billie Holiday. Her musical influences include Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Frank Rosolino, JJ Johnson, and many others.
Nigel Regan is a saxophonist, composer, and educator born and raised in the New Haven area. After receiving a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, Hartt School of Music, Nigel received his Master of Music in jazz studies from the University of North Texas, where he was a Teaching Fellow and played lead alto saxophone in the internationally renowned, 7-time Grammy nominated One O’Clock Lab Band. He is featured on flute, alto and soprano saxophone on their album “Lab ‘24.” Nigel has played with Miguel Zenon, Helen Sung and Steve Davis, among others, and is currently a teaching artist at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, where he began his jazz journey as a young man. During his high school years, he was an outstanding soloist with Jeff Fuller’s Premier Jazz Ensemble at NMS and frequently played with celebrated percussionist Jesse Hameen II.
Pianist/Composer Darren Litzie holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from The Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance Degree from Western Connecticut State University. He has performed and recorded with artists such as John Riley, Dave Santoro, Mike DiRubbo, Jeff Fuller, Frank Basile, Harvie S, Phil Palombi, Marlene VerPlanck, and Tom Melito. An avid composer, Darren completed a three-year stint as a member of New York's prestigious BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, in which several of his works were selected to be premiered in concert by the BMI Jazz Orchestra. As a recording artist, Darren has appeared on six records as a sideman, and his debut record, My Horizon, was released in June 2022 on Summit Records. Since 2013, Darren has served as an Adjunct Professor of Music at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, where he teaches music classes and piano lessons.
A native of Orange, CT, Ryan Sands is a passionate, energetic drummer on the rise. Ryan is a graduate of the New England Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. His thunderous performance style has landed him work with Phil Markowitz, Zach Brock, John Escreet, Geoffrey Keezer, and as a rotating member of the Christian Sands Trio. Ryan currently holds the drum seat for the New York-based Jazz collective Altus, featuring David Adewumi, Neta Ranaan, Nathan Reising, and Isaac Levien. They released their debut EP, Riot Cycles, in July 2021. As a bandleader, Ryan released his debut album, Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow, and his sophomore release, Forest Road: Live at the Side Door, released in 2025.