About
Paul Meyers
"one of the most eloquent jazz guitarists since Kenny Burrell"- James Gavin, NY Times
"Paul Meyers is a guitarist's guitarist. He displays a creative, fresh approach to harmonic and linear playing. He's a brilliant soloist andaccompanist and excels in contemporary jazz. His arranging and performances are as good as it gets."- Gene Bertoncini, solo jazz guitar master
"A virtuoso guitarist and improviser [who brings] his own voice to each and every melody and solo he performs.... his lines are delivered with a hard driving sense of groove that only helps to accentuate his melodic and harmonic vocabulary." - Matthew Warnock, Just Jazz Guitar
Professional history - Paul Meyers has performed and/or recorded with an ever growing list of jazz greats such as Geri Allen, Harry Allen, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Ray Drummond, Eliane Elias, Clare Fischer, Sonny Fortune, Eddie Gomez, Annie Ross, Wynton Marsalis, Bill Mays, Rufus Reid, Frank Wess and Steve Wilson. He's also toured for years with two of the greatest jazz singers ever - Jon Hendricks from 1993 to 2016, and Andy Bey from 1997 to 2008. Paul performs regularly in and around the NYC area with his own groups and a s sideman with many others.
International performances include Japan and Hong Kong with the Salute to Duke Ellington Orchestra (along with Bob Brookmeyer, Mel Lewisand Joe Wilder) - Spain with the great percussionist Cafe - Brazil, France, Germany, Switzerland, England, and Italy with Jon Hendricks - Brazil, England, Spain. Portugal, Macedonia, Greece and the Netherlands with Andy Bey - Japan with Karrin Allison, and Argentina with Gary Burton. Mr. Burton also recorded Paul's tune Panama on his "Reunion" CD with Pat Metheny.
A very active player in New York's vibrant Brazilian jazz scene, Paul was a member of the Terra Brasil, which featured pianist/composer Cidinho Teixeira and vocalist Vera Mara, both veterans of the great Gilberto Gil's band. He later co-led Brasil & Company with Ms. Mara, and they released a highly regarded CD as well. He has performed in New York and Tokyo with the great Tango-jazz pianist and composer Pablo Zeigler(Astor Piazzola's pianist) and is featured along with Stephon Harris on the live CD Tango meets Jazz. He recently returned to Tokyo to play at the Blue Note with vocalist Karrin Allison, performing music from her new Brazilian CD Imagina. Paul was featured on the soundtrack to the film Bossa Nova (2000) w/Amy Irving, and music by Deodato. He has also performed in great Brazilian ensembles with Paul Winter at his Winter Solstice concerts and in small groups.
Critically acclaimed CDs
Paul Meyers Quartet with Frank Wess (Miles High) is a relaxed straight ahead date all on the nylon string fingerstyle guitar.with the tenor/flute legend.
World on a String (Miles High) a quintet featuring saxophone giant Donny McCaslin and stelar Brazilian pianist Helio Alves. Paul's original compositions and arrangements with wide ranging influences.
King/Fabian/Meyers Trio (Longo) an album of all original material recorded live at Trumpets Jazz Club in NJ with pianist Matt King and bassist Christian Fabian.
Euforia (Mapleshade) is an envelope pushing Latin Jazz trio with Panamanian bassist/composer Santi Debriano and Brazilian drummerVanderlei Pereira. ,
Spirit and Samba (Mapleshade).Paul and Santi Debriano reunited for a duo CD a couple years later on the same label
Brasil and Company (Cathexis) an all Brazilian CD with Brazilian singer Vera Mara, both in duo and with their quartet along special guests
4 solo guitar CDs
I Let a Song Go (PM Records) which features standards, one original tune and Paul's arrangement of Seven Steps to Heaven.
Welcome Home (PM Records) - recorded and released in 2011, a highly acclaimed CD of Paul's original music. This CD has garnered rave reviews from top other guitarists and musicians such as Ralph Towner, Steve Khan, Vic Juris and Andy Bey.
Dusk to Dawn (PM Records) a collection of original arrangements of Ellington, Gershwin, Lennon/McCartney, Scott Joplin and more.
Blues for the Millennium (PM Records) features his arrangements of jazz and Brazilian tunes, four original pieces and transcriptions of 7 of Bela Bartok's "Mikrokosmos".
Earlier recordings
Trio Concertant (Gunmar Records), first runner-up for best chamber music CD of 1992
Blues for Henry Miller (Adirondack), a jazz trio album, which was recently rereleased as a digital download on Hindsight Records.
As a sideman - Paul has appeared on many CDs, most notably three with the great singer/pianist Andy Bey, the Grammy nominatedAmerican Song, Tuesdays in Chinatown and Shades of Bey. Others include Requite Trio with Janis Siegal, Nanny Assis and John DiMartino - Nightsongs with Janis Siegal - several great CDs withNicki Parrot - Hearts and Minds with Susannah McCorkle - 4 on 6 x 5 with the New York Jazz Guitar Ensemble (where he also contributed a 5 guitar arrangement on Herbie Hancock's Speak Like a Child) - and three Latin/Brazilian jazz recordings featuring all original music - Obeah withSanti Debriano, Utatuba with Kimson Plaut and Lucky with Hans Teuber.
Education and Awards - Masters of Music in jazz guitar from the
Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelors of Music with honors fromNew England Conservatory. He studied with Gene Bertoncini, Jackie Byard, Barry Galbraith, George Russell, Chuck Wayne and Jack Wilkins. Paul received a 1990/91 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for jazz composition
Teaching history - Paul teaches jazz guitar, improvisation and coaches jazz and Brazilian ensembles at William Patterson University (since 1988) and at New Jersey City University (since 1993), and City University of NY (since 2008). He also taught at the first year of the Jazz for Teens program at NJPAC in Newark. Paul has also given numerous clinics, master classes and workshops, traveling as far away as Argentina, Hawaii and Alaska.
Whenever I teach my goal is to give students projects that will help them to hear the music more completely, visualize the music they hear on the instrument, and understand the music in a deeper and more connected way.
Students will work on:
- chords, arpeggios and scales
- exercises using these sounds to absorb and use them more clearly
- work on connecting from one sound to another (this is very important!)
- learning tunes (melodies and chords) by ear and from written music
- transcriptions of guitar solos and chord melodies
- transcriptions of solos by great jazz (and Brazilian jazz) musicians
- chord melody and solo guitar playing
- building vocabulary - which comes from all of the above.
Building vocabulary is the key to speaking the language of improvisation, and it is like learning a spoken language - it takes time, so patience is needed. And as in a language one can always continue to develop a deeper vocabulary as long as one uses and studies it.
In all of the work the immediate goal is to play the assigned material. This is very important, as it is good to set short term goals and complete them thoroughly. However, I think that just as important is the long term goal of learning to put together what I call the three lifetime goals, so that you can learn to teach yourself in an effective way to continue growing as a musician and guitarist for as long as you play the guitar.
Lifetime goals:
1. Hearing the music
2. Seeing and playing the music you hear on the guitar fretboard
3. Understanding/naming the music
The more these three are developed, and developed together, the better. The truth is that the first two are really the essential part of playing jazz guitar, and you don't really have to understand, or be able to read, write or name the music ( that’s the theory ) in order to be a great player - think of Wes Montgomery for example. But - having a way of understanding and naming the sounds you are hearing and playing is also extremely valuable and useful, and in itself can lead to more growth.
All of this is a process - it takes time and it never ends, because we're always looking for and hearing new sounds, or hearing the old ones in new ways - So there is really no limit, we never stop growing and learning for as long as we keep playing. It's a beautiful journey to be on - and to Enjoy...!
Reviews from Group Classes
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 views of the Blues - Blues for the Millennium
Allen W. on March 20, 2021
Paul is the real thing!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 views of the Blues - Blues for the Millennium
James S. on March 20, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 views of the Blues - Blues for the Millennium
Paul I. on March 20, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 Views of the Blues
Paul I. on April 10, 2021
A feast for guitarists ! Paul provides great charts, demonstrates his compositions, and elaborates on all the details. This tune for me 'blue lantern' encourages a new way to hear and play over the blues.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
8 Views of the Blues
Richard A. on May 15, 2021
This review is for the seven classes I attended. Since there's no place to rate all seven (Lessonface should address this), I'm using this spot for the last session to rate the whole course.
Paul is a great instructor and, needless to say, a great artist. He provided excellent materials (charts), and went through each piece very methodically. He was open to questions as he went along. He has a very nice, welcoming, gentle demeanor, which is conducive to learning.
Personally, I got what I was looking for -- a handful of techniques which I can gradually incorporate into my own solo playing.
I would recommend Paul's lessons for any fairly advanced jazz guitarist who can read music and is, as jazz players should be, endlessly curious and explorational in their music.
Above all, the class was fun!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 Views of the Blues
James S. on May 15, 2021
I took Paul Meyers' 8 Blues classes recently & thought they were excellent. Paul makes everything clear, provides useful information, demonstrates well, and has a great demeanor and manner. All in all, an excellent class. I would take any other classes he offers. (Fyi - I'm a professional guitarist with two successful CDs, and lots of career credentials).
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 Views of the Blues
Paul I. on June 1, 2021
I would like to say a few words about my class with Paul Meyers.
1st he is a master guitar player with a unique style always sounding spontaneous and contemporary always swinging.
Paul’s sense of jazz history and vocabulary runs throughout his playing.
The structure of the class is what appealed to me - 8 pieces all approaching the ‘blues’ in a different way. Each tune covered a number of harmonic and rhythmic techniques as well as various forms and form extensions.
Paul has the ability to play all the parts in each tune, and analyze and talk about the chordal and melodic relationships. All times are written out and available in pdfhandouts, Most included a solo (also written out).
Paul is energetic and passionate about what he’s doing. He can make an advanced piece seem approachable and is able to field questions at any time. Quite remarkable I’d say.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 Views of the Blues
Monroe Q. on May 15, 2021
Paul Meyers is the real deal. I highly recommend any guitarist wishing to expand their knowledge and gain a greater view of the instrument to study with Paul.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"RHYTHMS - Brazilian, Latin and More"
Monroe Q. on September 25, 2021
Paul Meyers is a world class player who has the rare ability to share his knowledge in a clear manner. His knowledge of music and the guitar and it's logistics is deep. Highly recommended.