Paul VornHagen is an accomplished jazz saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist who has won Detroit Music Awards on six separate occasions and categories: Jazz Reeds, Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, Instrumentalist, World Music Recording (2) and Jazz Recording. Presently living in Ann Arbor, Michigan where Paul got his start on the flute in 1972 performing with the University of Michigan dance department as an accompanist. Mostly self-taught initially, he studied music at City College Of San Francisco in 1978-79 followed by classes at the Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor. He has since traveled far and wide from the shores of Hawaii and Mexico to the jazz clubs of San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, Havana (Cuba), Paris (France), England and the US Virgin Islands.
DISCOGRAPHY
PAUL VORNHAGEN JAZZ COMBOS– PKO Records: Trust Your Heart (2016), In Our Own Way (2014) Kindred Spirits (04), Heart (01) Swing As You Are (’99). Schoolkids Records: Parisian Protocol (’97), Mercy! (’95). Strawberry Records: Variations (’92),
NEW AGE MUSIC– Inner Light Records: Lavender Blue (w/Paul Sihon ’89) Whispers in the Wind (w/Paul Sihon ’88) and Enlightened Sector (w/Stefan Kukurugya ’87).
TUMBAO BRAVO: PKO Records: El Nido (2018), Casa Versailles (2013), Un Systema Para Todo (’09), Amigos: From Our Hands (’07) and Montuno Salad (’04)
PERFORMANCES: Paul performs as a Quartet for larger venues or as a Trio or Duo for smaller sized rooms. Some of his earliest dates in Ann Arbor were at the Del-Rio and the Bird of Paradise and in Detroit at the historic Baker’s Keyboard Lounge. Currently he performs regularly at the Blue LLama (Ann Arbor), the London Chop House (Detroit), The Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe (Grosse Pte) and Lucille’s Jazz Lounge (Toledo). He has appeared in concert halls, Jazz Clubs, Libraries, Civic Music Series, music festivals throughout Michigan, Chicago, Hawaii, San Francisco Bay area, Hollywood, CA, Oklahoma, New York City, New Jersey, Ohio, Canada, England, Paris/Marseilles (France), Havana (Cuba) and Riviera Maya Mexico A list of famous musicians/bands Paul has performed with include: The Temptations, The Four Tops, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Belgrave, Tito Puente, Jr., organist Charles Earland, Louis Smith and more.
MEDIA QUOTES
“Gutsy sax, sensuous flute and vocals smooth as silk” JAZZ TIMES
“Muscular, confident, hip tenor sax….a heartland Sonny Rollins” MIDWEST JAZZ
“On vocals, Paul Vornhagen is Michigan’s answer to Harry Connick, Jr.” CHICAGO SUN TIMES
“Especially impressive on the flute, with that intimate caressing breath.” JAZZIZ
“His tenor sax is robust with the heart of a romantic” DETROIT JAZZ
” ,,,, warm and expansive on the soprano sax” DOWNBEAT
Paul also leads the award winning Cuban Jazz combo TUMBAO BRAVO. An exciting and colorful 6 piece band performing the authentic rhythms of Cuba with rich harmonic compositions written by mostly by Paul. Visit the website at www.tumbaobravo.com
Paul also performs as a band member with THE LUNAR OCTET (www.lunaroctet.com) performing original compositions with Brazilian, African, Afro-Pop, Cuban and Bop-Swing grooves.
TEACHING: Paul is a private teacher from his home studio in Arbor and accepts students on saxophones, flute, piccolo, piano, clarinet and voice. A relaxed and encouraging approach–all levels and styles.