Jazz vocalist, award winning, Paul Jost is coming, with Jim Ridl on piano, and Chris Colangelo on bass! A concert to be held at the great house concert venue, the G Spot in Highland Park…

We can’t wait for them to arrive!

Check him out: http://www.pauljostmusic.com

$30 includes light snacks and wine, coffee.

https://pauljost.brownpapertickets.com

(The next day he’ll do a workshop!)

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“There are no lies in his soul, no half-kept promises, no Sunday mornings without a warm cup of tea. Paul Jost is the very essence of Vocal Jazz today.” Esther Berlanga-Ryan, Music Journalist.

When describing the unique vocalist and arranger Paul Jost, two words come to mind “passionate storyteller”. To Paul, each lyric offers a message, a story, and he conveys his own interpretation of those stories through his arrangements and the honesty in his performance. Paul is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger whose vocal style makes him a standout. Both critics and contemporaries alike say he is one of the best male jazz vocalists since Mark Murphy. Paul has been performing worldwide with recent tours in South Korea, Ireland and at JazzAhead, the international jazz expo and conference, in Bremen, Germany.

Back home in the U.S, Paul is a regular on the New York Club scene performing at clubs such as the 55 Bar, The Blue Note, Dizzy’s Coca Cola Club, Mezzrow and Kitano to name just a few. He can be seen regularly on Festival stages including recent performances at Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival and the Exit Zero Jazz Festival as well as guesting with colleagues including Joe Locke, Orin Evans and Houston Person.

After a long career as an instrumentalist and sideman having recorded and performed with Billy Eckstine, Mark Murphy, Dr. John, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Farrell and Ron Carter to name just a few, Paul launched his solo vocal career in 2015 with the release of his debut vocal album “Breaking Through”.

With his reputation as a vocalist growing, Paul was recently showcased on PBS-TV in a profile feature on the Friday Arts series “Finding Your Voice”. Paul’s follow-up release to “Breaking Through” titled “Simple Life” was released in March 2019 and features Jim Ridl-piano, Dean Johnson bass and Tim Horner drums. The album also features Joe Locke as his special guest on a number of tracks.

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By C. MICHAEL BAILEY 
May 1, 2019
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Paul Jost
Simple Life
Paul Jost Music
2019 

I believe there are precious few exceptional male jazz vocalists. There. I said it. Female vocalists? They are legion. But once one has pruned away the vanity projects, the Sinatra wannabes, and the most recent unforgivable cover of "My Funny Valentine," there remain few. Paul Jost is one of those few. The singer's Breaking Through (Dot Time, 2014) revealed a fearless, scat-singing spirit unafraid of not only shaking up the jazz canon but adding to it. The spirit continues on Simple Life. 

Jost is a bit of a throwback hipster, very conversational in his singing, and both warm and intimate. Here he enjoys the support of pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Dean Johnson, drummer Tim Horner, and vibraphonist Joe Locke. This quartet provides Jost a solid terrain over which to sing, ruminate, talk... communicate. 

Jost deftly transforms more contemporary compositions into jazz vehicles. The opening "Blackbird" is propelled by bassist Johnson's simple figure, accented by Locke. Jost transforms Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" into a Quaalude dream bubbling up from the subconscious, broken only by the lazy rhythm provided by Horner. The Beatles show up a second time on "With A Little Help From My Friends," infused with Jost's exceptional harmonica playing. The title piece is just great, straight-ahead jazz, with a slow, introverted introduction giving way to an easy but urgent 4/4 swing. The surprise of the disc, however, is Jost's sensitive and earthy treatment of "Shenandoah." Again, he shows off his harmonica chops in a lilting, balladic treatment of an American classic. 

Paul Jost is taking his time. He is careful about his repertoire selection, making even the most daring selections work. This is talent worth waiting for, and until his next recording let's just enjoy Simple Life.