Paul Amrod – Paul Amrod

Paul Amrod and Purple Elephant

Hubl55 — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:29:56 +0000

Paul Amrod with the JB Horns

Hubl55 — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:23:25 +0000

The Chicken by Pee Wee Ellis
Maceo Parker, Alto Sax
Fred Wesley, Trombone
Pee Wee Ellis, Tenor Sax
Paul Amrod, Keyboards
Gary Burke, Drums
Rob Leon, Bass

New Orleans R and B

Paul55 — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:30:16 +0000

Most of the human race thinks New Orleans was the city where Jazz began. Yes of course however the entire Soul and Rock n’ Roll had its roots there as well. Perhaps for the connoisseur of the entire musical scene in New Orleans this is a well-known fact. Some of the names one should look at for the roots of this music are Lloyd Price, Irma Thomas, Dave Bartholomew, Roy Brown, Smiley Lewis, Fats Domino and the great Professor Longhair. The two musical directions of Soul and Rock ‘n Roll had two different influential elements. Rock n’ Roll was a form of Caribbean Boogie and Soul had a bluesey Gospel beginning. All in all a fanstatic energy blossomed with these two musical directions that influenced music for over five decades. Paul Amrod

Hall Overton, My Most Influential Teacher

Paul55 — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:57:20 +0000

The Center for Documentary Studies and the New York Public Library present a program devoted to the monumental, behind-the-scenes influence of pianist, arranger, composer, teacher, and Jazz Loft veteran Hall Overton. Featuring Steve Reich, composer; Joel Sachs, conductor and pianist; Carman Moore, composer, arranger, and conductor; Ethan Iverson, composer and pianist; Sam Stephenson, Director of the Jazz Loft Project.

“Hall Overton I had the pleasure of first meeting in 1969 as I auditioned for the Juilliard. Of course his knowledge of Jazz was amazing. During my audition he once sat down at the piano and played amazing two hand voicings and ask me at the age of eighteen what the chords’ names were. I was at that point aware of modern jazz but was a psychedelic Rock composer. I gave Hall exact answers to his questions and he was impressed with my ear and also wished I would join the 1969 freshman compostional majors. In the first fall semester he played with a Trio for a student party and I was fascinated with the groove of the group. He then asked me to play something and of course I accepted. I remember I played a tune of mine called “It’s Not the Same Without Old Joe.” Anyway I felt his openess to me was in such an enviroment like the Juilliard exeptional. Even though I placed to study with Roger Sessions, whom I admired, I was constantly in converstion with Hall. After two years of rigorous counterpoint I asked Roger if I could change over to Hall. Roger was understanding and I asked Hall and he was very happy to continue with me. I was immediately in another world analyzing Bartok and Stravinsky and for the first time I truly finished a notated piece under his direction. With his incredible ability to clarify form I began to improvise with motivic development.” Paul Amrod

The Jazz Loft Project presents “Hall Overton: Out of the Shadows”