PAUL CARR |
Known
for his hard-charging and soulful post-bop style saxophonist Paul Carr upholds
the important tradition of the Texas tenor. Growing up, he studied and played
with local heroes including saxophonist Don Wilkerson, the fabled educator
Conrad Johnson, and the legendary Arnett Cobb. He studied two years on a full
scholarship to Texas Southern University and completed his degree in music
performance Howard University in Washington, DC.
Since then, Carr has been based in the DC area performing on the local scene at
venues including Blues Alley, Twins Jazz, Takoma Station, and the now-defunct
(but once vibrant) One Step Down. Carr has been a repeat performer at The John
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe, and the
Corcoran Gallery of Art's jazz series.
Carr's 1993 recorded debut as a leader, a "PC10" was received with critical
praise from the Washington Post, Houston Post, and USA Today, as well as
magazines including including DownBeat, Cadence, and JazzTimes. Since "PC10,"
Carr has recorded on over 25 other recordings as a sideman.
Carr's strong commitment to jazz is most evident in his role as an educator.
After over twenty years of teaching privately, Carr launched the Jazz Academy of
Music, Inc., a 501 C-3 non-profit corporation dedicated to "advancing and
preserving jazz through jazz education" via year-round workshops and a summer
camp where Carr and a staff of local musicians teach high school students the
principles of improvisation, small group, and big band playing. His students
have been selected for local, state, and national jazz groups including the
Maryland All-State Jazz Ensemble, the IAJE Clifford Brown Fellows, and Grammy
National High School Honors Jazz Ensemble. Three of Carr's students have been
accepted to the prestigious Julliard jazz program in that program's short
history and several others have been admitted to The New England Conservatory,
the Eastman School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the New School.
After a 13 year hiatus from recording as a leader, Carr has returned to the
studio, composing and leading his own group. The result of these efforts have
resulted in his latest self-released CD, "Just Noodlin'" featuring players
including world-renowned trumpeter Terrell Stafford, and former Donald Harrison
sideman - pianist Andrew Adair.
Carr has performed numerous times at the White House, for Presidents Clinton,
and Bush as well as the late King Hussein of Jordan. He has toured South
America, Central America, Europe, and the Middle East. In addition, as a
performer Carr has shared the stage with artists such as flutist Kent Jordan,
saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Kirk Whalum, and Steve Wilson, and trumpeters
Terrell Stafford, and Wynton Marsalis.