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Paul Austerlitz
Reed player, composer, and ethnomusicologist Paul Austerlitz combines his background as an ethnomusicologist specializing in Afro-Caribbean music with his creative work as a jazz musician. As an instrumentalist, Austerlitz has dedicated himself to mastering the bass and contrabass clarinets. He also plays Bb (soprano) clarinet and tenor saxophone. As a composer, Austerlitz weds his backgrounds in jazz and ethnomusicology, producing works that incorporate the musics that he researches. He has been especially active in blending music from Haiti the Dominican Republic and elsewhere with jazz. Austerlitz has worked with musicians such as Doc Cheatham, Julius Hemphill, Dave Murray, Don Byron, Roswell Rudd, Jimmy Knepper, Ed Blackwell, Gunter Hampel, the poet Michael Harper, the Haitian Vodun-jazz group Foula, and the African jazz group of Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng.
Gear
Selmer bass clarinet, Bay bass clarinet mouthpiece, Boss multi-effects box
Tags
Allen Lowe: A Love Supine: Ascension into the Maelstrom
by Karl Ackermann
There is an exhaustive property to the body of Allen Lowe's work. Composer, saxophonist, sporadic guitarist who composes on piano, and the author of several noteworthy music histories, he has released nearly two dozen albums. Lowe is a member of the quartet East Axis with Matthew Shipp, Gerald Cleaver, and Kevin Ray. A Love Supine: Ascension into the Maelstrom is an ambitious double-disc collection recorded in four sessions in 2018. The eighteen tracks were all composed by Lowe. The sessions ...
read morePaul Austerlitz: The Vodou Horn
by Mark Sullivan
The Vodou Horn album is part of a trilogy called Marasa Twa: Vodou-Jazz-Merengue, exploring the spiritual traditions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The focus here is on Haiti, with ethnomusicologist/bass clarinetist Paul Austerlitz combining his playing with Franck Desire's Asakivle drumming and singing group, which plays traditional ritual rhythms in concert settings. After recording live in a Haitian studio, he worked in Brooklyn, NY with recording engineer/bassist Chico Boyer and guitarist Monvelyno to produce the final product. It is ...
read morePaul Austerlitz Quintet at El Taller Latino Americano 3/06/10
by Tomas Pena
Paul Austerlitz QuintetEl Taller Latino AmericanoNew York, New YorkMarch 6, 2010
The Paul Austerlitz Quintet made a rare New York appearance at El Taller Latino Americano, a performance space and showcase for artistic talent on Manhattan's upper west side. The occasion marked the introduction of music based on Dominican rhythms and was sponsored by the Mellon Foundation and the Sundeman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College, where Austerlitz teaches ethnomusicology and Africana Studies. The ...
read moreJazz Consciousness: Music, Race, and Humanity
by David Rickert
Paul Austerlitz Jazz Consciousness: Music, Race, and Humanity Wesleyan University Press ISBN: 0-8195-6782-5 260 pages 2005
Jazz Consciousness works from the premise that jazz, while often classified as a strictly American art form, embodies a sense of inclusiveness that not only influences other genres, but also soaks in the music of other cultures. This, of course, is nothing new--this idea has been tossed about for years. Yet Paul Austerlitz, an ...
read more“Journey is a successful sonic cornucopia.” - George Harris, AllAboutJazz-Los Angeles “An accomplished bass clarinetist, free-blowing improviser, and ethomusicologist, Austerlitz explores connections between Africa, merengue, and bebop.” -Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times
Primary Instrument
Multi-instrumentalist
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Credentials/Background
Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology and Africana Studies, Sunderman Conservatory of Music, Gettysburg College 2006-present Assistant Professor of Music and Africana Studies, Brown University 1997-2005
Clinic/Workshop Information
World music and jazz New techniques on bass clarinet
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Music
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Paul Austerlitz
Instrument: Multi-instrumentalist
Born: August 26, 1957
Publicist: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
