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Paul Gill
Born in Baltimore, MD, Paul had established himself as a local mainstay in the Balto-DC area from 1984-1994 by both working with fellow hometown musician Gary Bartz, and backing artists that came to town such as Benny Golson, Rosemary Clooney, Stanley Turrentine, and Sonny Fortune.
Immediately upon moving to New York, Gill began working with legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks. In 1999 he left Hendricks to embark on a year long world tour with singer Diana Krall. Following Diana Krall in 2001 he joined the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. The second half of the 2000’s found Paul touring with either vocalist Elvis Costello or guitarist Pat Martino.
Gill has worked in every major venue in New York City and has also performed or recorded with artists such as Hank Jones, Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, Lou Donaldson, Bill Charlap, Jimmy Cobb, Al Foster, The Vanguard Orchestra, George Coleman, Harold Mabern, Lew Tabackin, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Louis Hayes.
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Jill McCarron Trio: Gin
by Jack Bowers
Gin, pianist Jill McCarron says of the title of her second recording as leader of the Jill McCarron Trio, refers to the card game of that name, and not to the alcoholic beverage. She balances the joy of winning with the luck of the draw in her entrancing three-part suite. While McCarron leads an admirable threesome (Paul Gill, bass; Andy Watson, drums), this is a trio album with an asterisk, as saxophonist Vincent Herring sits in on four numbers (including ...
read moreJoe Magnarelli: Hoop Dreams
by C. Andrew Hovan
As Duke Ellington would often remind us, music comes in two varieties, that which is good and that which is bad. This suggests that genre and category are really of little concern and that overall quality is really the defining factor in considering the validity of any musical expression. Taking this axiom one step further, let me suggest that good music comes in assorted varieties. On one end of the spectrum you have music brimming with complex structures and technical ...
read moreKevin O'Connell Quartet: Hot New York Minutes
by Jack Bowers
Although Hot New York Minutes is Chicago-based pianist Kevin O'Connell's date, it could well be saxophonist Adam Brenner's, as the two share roughly equal time soloing and contribute their talents as writer and/or arranger on half a dozen of the album's ten numbers. In fact, the subtitle reads “Featuring Adam Brenner," and the album, O'Connell writes, was actually Brenner's idea after they had reunited in Chicago for a pair of impromptu jam sessions. To make it a ...
read moreKevin O'Connell Quartet Featuring Adam Brenner: Hot New York Minutes
by Neil Duggan
Finding one's own voice as a musician is never an easy process; extending that to taking the spotlight and leading your own band is another step up. For some, it can take years. Kevin O'Connell is an example of exactly that. He has been a jazz pianist since the 1980s, working with the Clifford Jordan Quartet for six years, Vernel Fournier's trio for eight years and as a sideman in countless other projects. He has finally delivered his long overdue ...
read moreMichael Weiss: Persistence
by Edward Blanco
An in-demand veteran of the vibrant New York jazz scene since the '80s, pianist Michael Weiss presents the warm and engaging Persistence, his fifth as a leader and first on the Cellar Live label, as well as being his first since the critically acclaimed Soul Journey, (Sintra Records, 2003). The long time span between recordings, despite many other opportunities since then, was primarily due to the artistic and creative terms not being ideal enough until the Cellar Live proposal. One ...
read moreJim Snidero: Strings
by Jack Bowers
Another saxophonist with strings. Ever since Charlie Parker first took the plunge in 1950, a goodly number of disciples has followed suit. Alto player Jim Snidero's deep dive, Strings, was actually recorded two decades ago, in 2001, and released to widespread acclaim on Milestone Records. The remastered edition, on Savant Records, is even better, thanks to enhanced sound and arco bass parts that breathe new life into Snidero's engaging compositions (he wrote and arranged every number save the lone standard, ...
read moreJim Snidero: Strings
by Dan McClenaghan
The initial recording of Jim Snidero's Strings ran into a roadblock. The session was scheduled at System Two Studios in Brooklyn, New York, on September 11th 2001. That was the date the world changed, with airplanes flying into buildings in New York City. Strings was postponed. The music eventually came together in October and November of that year, and saw its release on Milestone Records in 2003. Now, in 2021, after nearly a decade out of print, the ...
read moreHarmonicist Paul Gillies Interviewed at AAJ
Source:
All About Jazz
Harmonica player Paul Gillies is an extraordinary individual. He has walked up Mount Vesuvius on crutches, jet power boated in New Zealand, bungee jumped 300 feet over the River Thames, and tandem freefall parachuted from 10,000 feet. These physical feats would have taxed the average person, but Paul did them while experiencing progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a degenerative disease that has robbed him of his sight in one eye, and will eventually claim his life.
Paul began to play blues ...
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