Michael Paulo My Heart And Soul CD

Picture veteran saxman Michael Paulo on a mythical dancefloor, torn between urges to cut loose under the flashing lights and the simple desire to sway while holding his partner close, and the musical imagery of My Heart and Soul comes clear. The great charm of his career has been an uncanny ability to reconcile heart and feet and mix seemingly dichotomous moods to create the "One Passion" promised by the title of his first disc. Here, half the time, he's "Bumpin'" up the funk with bassist Freddie Washington, teasing with a wild soprano excursion, or drawing us into hip-hop land. Then, just as we're joining the party, he tells us the club's closing and offers one last slow dance for the road. David Benoit orchestrates the title track, a soulful centerpiece reminiscent of Paulo's 1989 cover of "Last Tango in Paris." Paulo's love for pop classics finds him covering Stevie Wonder, Nat King Cole, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Artsy production touches, from a cool closing rap on "That's the Way of the World" to a brief June Kuramoto koto interlude, add to the rhythmically diverse atmosphere. ~ Jonathan Widran

Michael Paulo One of the most versatile and cosmopolitan saxophonists in pop, soul and contemporary jazz for over 25 years, Michael Paulo has added his distinct saxpertise to a virtual who's who of artists, including Al Jarreau (Paulo's longest term touring association), James Ingram, No. 1 Smooth Jazz Trumpeter and guitarist Rick Braun and Peter White, Oleta Adams, Kenny Loggins, Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Jeff Lorber, David Benoit, Carl Anderson, Bobby Caldwell, Johnny Mathis and more. Paulo grew up in a musical family (his father a pianist, his mother a singer, his siblings all playing instruments) and though he came upon the sax relatively late at age 15, he quickly became first horn player in his high school band and was playing professional gigs around the islands within a few years. Rather than accept a scholarship to North Texas State, he chose a more adventurous road by joining Hawaiian pop/rock band Kalapana, which had some success on the mainland but was most popular in Japan. After playing regularly and recording on all four of Kalapana's albums from 1975 through 1979, Paulo recorded a solo album for Japanese release on Trio records. In addition to exposing him to the Japanese jazz audience, Tats in the Rainbow gave him the opportunity to work with legendary pianist Herbie Hancock. Paulo moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and quickly established himself by playing with percussionist Ray Armondo and a local R&B outfit featuring members of Rufus. Two years later, he caught his big break when Al Jarreau hired him for his touring band. The young saxman became an integral part of the Jarreau experience while touring the world for the next decade. Paulo also gained international recognition as a result of his work on Jarreau's famed "Live in London" release. In 1988, Paulo met producer Robert Kraft while recording a solo for singer /songwriter Vonda Sheppard . Impressed with the young saxophonist talent, Kraft secured Michael a major recording contract with MCA Records. Kraft produced his MCA debut One Passion, which became a Top Ten hit on the contemporary Jazz/NAC charts. 1990's Fusebox, on GRP Records which charted in the Top 20 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. In 1994 Paulo launched his own label Noteworthy Records with the release of his fourth solo project Save the Children. Paulo spent much of the Nineties managing Noteworthy Records and touring with other artists, strengthening his solo career overseas with many Asian tours as well. Internationally, he is especially beloved in Asia and Thailand where Save the Children was first released. While that album found Paulo reflecting on the joys of fatherhood and his many world excursions, its similarly successful 1996 follow-up, My Heart and Soul, was about the simple balance between Paulo's passions for slamming funk and dreamy balladry. My Hea