Bill Fulton on keys or piano with Christopher Mason

Bill Fulton with Christopher Mason in Two Harbors brought Fulton to Santa Catalina Island for a small-group engagement with alto saxophonist Christopher Mason. Richard Bowers played drums, while Leslie Baker handled bass. Together, the four musicians performed in Two Harbors, the island’s west-end village.

Two Harbors offers a markedly different setting from Catalina’s busier Avalon. In fact, the village sits on the narrow isthmus between Isthmus Cove and Catalina Harbor. Its compact waterfront has long drawn boaters, campers, island residents, and visitors arriving from the mainland.

A Catalina Island engagement

The setting gave Bill Fulton with Christopher Mason in Two Harbors an unusual Southern California backdrop. Although the source identifies Two Harbors rather than a specific room, music remains part of the village’s social life. Today, the Harbor Reef area serves as a gathering place, and seasonal events regularly include live entertainment.

Two Harbors also carries a colorful history beyond tourism. During the Civil War, Union troops occupied the isthmus. Later, Hollywood productions used the area so often that it became known as the Isthmus Movie Colony. As a result, the village combines resort life with a past tied to California history and the film industry.

Fulton, Mason, Bowers and Baker

For this engagement, Fulton performed on piano or keyboards alongside Mason on alto sax. Meanwhile, Bowers and Baker completed the rhythm section on drums and bass. The personnel place the appearance among Fulton’s many small-group performances rather than his later large-ensemble arranging and composing projects.

Fulton’s professional history includes decades of work as a pianist and keyboardist. In addition, his keyboardist and pianist credits span clubs, concerts, tours, recording sessions, and other live settings. The Two Harbors date adds an island engagement to that broader performance history.

Music on Catalina’s west end

Two Harbors continues to build entertainment around its waterfront setting. For example, the Catalina Island Company describes the village as Catalina’s west-end destination, with dining, camping, boating, and visitor services. Annual gatherings also bring music to the beach and harbor area.

Against that setting, Bill Fulton with Christopher Mason in Two Harbors joined four working musicians for a Catalina performance. The lineup paired Fulton and Mason with Bowers and Baker, creating a compact ensemble for an engagement far from the mainland club circuit.

Artist: Bill Fulton on keys or piano
Date/Time: June 22, 1990 12:00 am
Venue: Two Harbors
Address: Two Harbors Two Harbors, CA 90704
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