Paula Harris - Speakeasy

Paula Harris - Speakeasy 

Paula’s newest release “Speakeasy” 01 Mai
Digs even deeper into her connection with mid-century jazz and blues legends. A completely acoustic album featuring a classic trio format of piano, bass and drums, “Speakeasy” is a true synthesis of Jazz and Blues with bits of soul and funk thrown in at times. Perhaps the two most surprising elements are the fullness of sound they achieve and the absence of a guitar.  Pianist,

Nate Ginsberg (Herbie Hancock, Sly & The Family Stone etc.) bassist, Rich Girard (Mose Allison, Lou Rawls) and drummer Derrick “D’Mar” Martin (Little Richard) create a sound that is simultaneously vintage and modern, and both elegant and earthy.

The project offers ten new originals and two new songs penned by bay area friends. They also cover Billie Holiday’s “Good Morning Heartache” by giving it a backbeat groove, Donnie Hathaway’s “More Than You’ll Ever Know”, Louie Jordan’s “Is you Is or Is you Ain’t My Baby” and Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight”, for which Paula penned all new lyrics and gave a slightly more driving groove. “Speakeasy”also features Big Llou Johnson, the voice of “Bluesville” on Sirius Radio, in the duet “Something Wicked” and the Grammy-winning former Santana trumpet player, Bill Ortiz on several cuts. 
Paula Harris is a vocalist originally from Clemson South Carolina but
now based in the San Francisco Bay area  She exploded into the blues
scene in 2012 when she and her newly formed band toob top three
honors at the largest Battle of the bands in the world,The International Blues Challenge* Their debut album received global media attention,airplay and nominations for multiple blues and music awards*
Dan Aybroyd ( AKA Elwood Blues) named her one of his "BluesBreahers/Favorite New releases in 2013 and said "Paula Has sung withsymphonies. She’s performed jazz and pop.And now at an age when mostsingers are thinking about hanging it up,she’s set to roar out of the geste.There is a reason for her confidence. She has the hind of chops that can
handle a ballad or shout down a 12-piece horn band.” The front page of
the Monterey Herald called her"Pitch-perfect,soulful and haunting” The
front page of the San Jose Mercury News called her worb " Brimmingwith scorching vocal work” and described Paula as a "Powerhouse whoknows how to use subtleties and who delivers one riveting performance
after another” She was also compared to Etta James,Dinah Washington,Sarah Vaughan,Ruth Brown and others of that era by the press*
Paula’s newest release "Speabeasy" digs even deeper into her connection with mid-century jazz and blues legends* A completely acoustic album featuring a classic trio format of piano,bass and drums,"Speabeasy" is a true synthesis of Jazz and
Blues with bits of soul and funb thrown in at times* Perhaps the two most surprising elements are the fullness of sound they
achieve and the absence of a guitar. Pianist,Nate Ginsberg (Herbie Hancocb, Sly & The Family Stone etc.) bassist. Rich
Girard(Mose Allison,Lou Rawls) and drummer Derricb"D’Mar* Martin(Little Richard) create a sound that is simultaneouslyvintage and modern,and both elegant and earthy* The project offers ten new originals and two new songs penned by bay
area friends* They also cover Billie Holiday’s "Good Morning Heartache" by givingit a baebbeat groove,Donnie Hathaway’s"More Than You’ll Ever Know",Louie Jordan’s "Is you Is or Is you Ain’t My Baby" and Thelonious Monb’s "Round Midnight",for which Paula penned all new lyrics and gave a slightly more driving groove* "$peabeasy"also features Big Llou Johnson,the voice of "Bluesville" on Sirius Radio,in the duet "Something Wicbed" and the Grammy-winning former Santana trumpetplayer,Bill Ortiz on several cuts*Awarded the title of "Best Female Vocalist" at the 2018 Northern Entertainers and Music Awards,Paula has managed to
create analbum that tabes onebacb to the time when jazz andblues were the pop music of the day* Listeners willbe delighted by the way "Speabeasy" merges the passion and conviction of blues with the sophistication and complexity of jazz

Frank Roszak
 KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST
 www.frankroszakpromotions.com