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From his early years, playing blues on Chicago's South Side, to his present multi-faceted career based out of northern Vermont, Paul has earned an underground reputation as a true "musician's musician". He has played and recorded with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, Lightnin' Slim, Paul Butterfield, Sam Lay, Pops Staples, Donny Hathaway, and numerous others while in his hometown of Chicago, Ill.
Paul moved to Vermont in the heady "back-to-the-land" days of 1971, where he still lives. He soon started playing with a head-spinningly diverse array of artists, including Big Mama Thornton, singer-songwriters Paul Siebel, Jim Ringer, Mary McCaslin, and Rosalie Sorrells, jazz greats Jon Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, Sonny Stitt, Nick Brignola, and many others.
In 1978, seeking an outlet for more personal musical visions, he formed Kilimanjaro, and recorded 2 award-winning albums for Philo Records which led to several appearances at the Kool Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Roskilde Festival in Copenhagen, and numerous national tours and concert dates. In 1981, he and other members of Kilimajaro joined forces with a legendary saxophonist/blues singer to form Big Joe Burrell and the Unknown Blues Band, which remained a Northeast regional favorite until Big Joe's passing in 2005.
Performance/recording credits in recent years include David Bromberg, Paul Butterfield, Betty Carter, Joshua Redman, James Carter, Kermit Ruffins, Michael Ray, the Sun Ra Arkestra, The Wild Magnolias, John Stowell, guitar wunderkind Julian Lage, Dave Grippo and former student Trey Anastasio.
He has also taught guitar for over 40 years. Private instruction remains a favored format, but Paul has also taught for many years on a university level, including positions at Dartmouth College, Skidmore College, St. Michaels College, Johnson State College, and presently at Middlebury College and the University of Vermont.
Since 1994, Paul has been reconnecting with his original folk-based roots in enthusiastically received festival shows and solo concerts. Recent appearances include Healdsburg Guitar Festival, Newport Guitar Festival, MerleFest, and numerous acoustic venues across the country. His 2 solo acoustic CD's, "Steel-String Americana" and "Roots and Branches", received numerous rave reviews for its highly individualized twists on blues and jazz standards, old-timey country-based themes and original pieces from the "american roots" tradition. Guitar Player Magazine said the "Steel-String Americana" CD "reveals his mastery of dynamics, phrasing, and timbres on this impressive debut." Acoustic Guitar Magazine said the CD was "arranged and played with finesse, imagination, and humor". The Flynn Theatre called both CD's "A genre-blurring, virtuosic waltz through the deep heritage of American folklore, where styles of Robert Johnson, Doc Watson and Dr. John rub elbows with those of Joe Pass and Bill Frisell."
In 2005, Burlington’s FlynnCentre chose to honor Kilimanjaro with a grant for creation of new compositions, which were debuted in a concert at the June ’06 Discover Jazz Festival. The concert was a great success, resulting in a 2nd show, and catalyzed a recording plan. In January of '09, Kilimanjaro released their long-awaited CD "Homecoming", and inaugurated a website, kilimanjarojazz.com where samples of the tunes can be heard, and the CD can be purchased.
Thanks for the support, please check out my website at paulasbell.com, and enjoy the space!
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