Musician.

Born in Boston, MA, Paul discovered jazz at an early age, sneaking into smokey clubs by age 13. He studied with jazz legends Archie Shepp, Max Roach and Ray Copeland before moving to Austin, TX in 1982.  There he became an integral part of the Texas blues and jazz community, working with a long list of Texas artists including Marcia Ball, Angela Strehli, Doyle Bramhall, Seth Walker, Nick Curran, and many more. As a bandleader Paul performs in Texas regularly, in nightclubs, festivals, concerts and private events.  He continues to tour nationally and internationally.  

Paul’s musical expertise crosses many boundaries, including western classical, jazz, blues, Latin, rock, R&B, Afrobeat, Balkan, North Indian, and much more. His broad range of musical influences led him to form three bands (producing five albums), which feature his original compositions: Manteca Beat, My Exotic Other, and The Klemperer Group.

Writer.

Paul’s writing career started at age 11 when his father let him appropriate an old Hermes typewriter.  Banging out flights of fancy on that machine, Paul contributed to school newspapers and literary magazines through high school and college, wrote many unpublished short stories, and published articles on topics ranging from music to martial arts.

In Austin, Paul has written music reviews and articles for the Austin American-Statesman, The Austin Chronicle, and was the music editor for Austin Downtown Arts Magazine.

Paul’s writings include scholarly and journalistic articles, short stories, poetry and of course reams and reams of song lyrics.  

Teacher.

With a masters degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of Texas, plus 30 years of international touring, Paul has evolved into a teaching artist, combining performance, teaching and lectures.  

Drawing from a broad range of pedagogical experience, Paul uses a multicultural and adaptive approach to teaching.  This helps students tap into their individual musical strengths while building a strong foundation in technique and theory. While Paul focuses on woodwinds (saxophone, clarinet, flute), he also teaches music theory, vocal presentation and stagecraft.

He teaches private and group classes at his home studio (and online), and is actively involved with collaborative educational projects in Texas.  He enjoys working with academic institutions, community organizations, and creative multi-media projects that infuse music education with cultural awareness.