|
In 1972, while living in Ann Arbor, Paul entered the world of instrumental music. He selected the flute as his instrument. Inspired by Thelonius Monk and Yusef Lateef, decided to pursue the improvisational freedom of jazz. Initially playing by ear and then learning saxophone, he enrolled at the City College of San Francisco to study sight reading, music theory and to play with the big band. One of the first combos Paul joined, was a late 70s jazz quintet, called "Natural Elements." The group performed on the streets of San Francisco. Paul returned to Ann Arbor in 1980 and performed with various jazz and R&B groups including the wildly popular "Domino" from Detroit. |
 |
||
| From 1987 to 1989, he recorded three albums for Inner Light Records, a
new-age label. These efforts received national air play and favorable
reviews in Jazziz Magazine. During this period, Paul won the Best instrumentalist award
in the Metro-Times Poll. In 1990, Paul decided to devote himself full-time to his own jazz
group, honing his vocalizing style, as well as, his sax and flute playing. In 1992, he recorded
his first mainstream jazz album for Strawberry Records entitled "Variations."
The following year, he won the Detroit Music Awards category for Best Jazz Reed.
1995 saw the release of Paul's first album for Schoolkids Records, "MERCY!," followed by "Parisian
Protocol" in 1997. This second release on Schoolkids was the popular on jazz radio,
being played on more than 160 stations nationwide. In September, 1997 "Parisian
Protocol" reached #30 on the national charts (Gavin Report). Since the late
80s, Paul has expanded his performance venues to include jazz spots in Chicago, San Francisco,
Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Toledo, New York, New Jersey, France and of course Michigan. He has performed
with such jazz greats as Louis Smith, Charles Earland, Earl VanRiper, Bruce
Forman, Mark Levmne, Laurence Hobgood, and Paul Wertico. He has headlined at all
the major festivals in Michigan including Detroit Montreaux, Flint,
Birmingham, Lansing, Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz, Kalamazoo and the Michigan Jazz Festival in Farmington. In April, 1998, Paul was nominated by the Detroit Music Awards in two categories: Outstanding Jazz Vocalist and Outstanding Jazz Album. All of Paul's recordings are straight ahead jazz, featuring the Detroit areas' finest players, including pianist Gary Schunk, bassists Paul Keller and Kurt Krahnke and drummers Randy Marsh and Gerald Cleaver. |
|
||