[ contemporary music / biography ]

PAUL AMROD
... CONTEMPORARY COMPOSER

Biography II

>> Through his studies with Hall Overton and George Russell emerged a great interest in combining Jazz and Contemporary music. He traveled extensively as a guest speaker throughout the Universities of America. >> During this period 1975-1981 he worked regularly in the New Yorker Jazz Scene (with Dave Sanborn, the Brecker Bros., Danny and Chris Brubeck, Bob Berg, Corky Laing and Buster Williams for example) and was an occassional pianist for the Joe Franklin Show on WOR-TV. From 1976-1978 Paul worked as the songwriter, musical director and pianist for the renowned Broadway singer Laurie Beechman. He received the coveted National Endowment of the Arts Award for Jazz Composition in 1980.

>> Since 1981 Paul has been living in Germany and performing as a conductor for musicals, arranging and performing in theaters, touring as Fats Waller in a show "Lenox Ave", in Vienna and Berlin, and composed his own JazzRock Opera for the "Theater am Turm-Frankfurt". He has been a director of Gospel Choirs, Musical Director in "Pfalz Theater Kaiserslautern" and in "Stadttheater Mainz".

>> Once he appeared on the Glaskasten for SWF-3 TV. He performed often the Rhapsody in Blue in Mainz and Hagen as a solo pianist or conductor. He then completed a reorchestration of the "West Side Story".
He performed in the early 90ties with Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker. In 1992 he grounded the Purple Elephant and a CD followed.

>> In 1995 he formed the funk band "Denis Do-Groove Band" and "Too Cold" with Steve Hooks. He performed on the CD "Children of the Earth" with his brother Willy and the JB Horns with Fred, Maceo and Pee Wee. In 1998 he produced the Sisters K's Maxi. Since 1997 Paul has dedicated more of his time to contemporary music. Till now he has composed 10 Symphonies and five Piano Concertos, various Solo Concerti and 50 Piano Sonatas among other works.

>> Since 2003 he has been working with the SüdWestDeutsche Philharmonie and has had 2 premieres. One was on the 29th of September as he mixed the Sudanese music of Mohammed Badawi with Jazz and Contemporary Music. Then on the 3rd of July 2004 he performed with his Jazz Trio and the complete Orchestra a work of his own named Blues Riffs and Rhythm.

>> During the same time period he worked extensively with the StadtTheater Konstanz. Since 2003 he has performed, as well as musically directed numerous productions. As well he has performed, in concert, an evening of Mörike with Kai Moritz ,where he accompanied him with original compositions and songs of Hugo Wolf. During this period he worked with Bernhard Stengele, side by side, with two German Poetry productions.

>> For these productions Paul wrote various piano compositions and set Brecht and Benn poems to music. Paul has always believed that recited poetry with music juxtaposed, brings the best out of both art forms. On April 30th, 2005 his 8th Symphony was premiered on the WDR Cologne Radio.

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