Paul Kreibich was born May 24, 1955 in Los Angeles. As a kid, he made his own drum set out of a cardboard barrel and coffee cans. By the time he was a junior at Costa Mesa High School, he was working five nights a week at a local club on Balboa Island. Following a stint at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he returned home to attend Orange Coast College and study with renowned percussionist Forrest Clark. In 1979 at the age of 23 he got his first major jazz gig with the great singer Carmen McRae. Later, he toured with the Ray Charles Band for 4 years. Returning to Los Angeles, his home base, he became first call drummer for many touring artists such as Mose Allison, Red Rodney, The Woody Herman Band, Anita O'Day, Scott Hamilton, Joe Pass, Charles Brown, Rosemary Clooney, Lee Konitz, and others. In 1995, Paul joined the Gene Harris Quartet where he toured and recorded with the group until Harris' untimely passing in January 2000. Paul is now on the music faculty of Cal State Fullerton and teaches privately. Visit Paul's website: www.paulkreibich.com/paul/home.html
"It's amazing to see very young students respond to Duke Ellington, Basie, Goodman -- even Charlie Parker. They feel the music and react positively right away."
Recently I've been riding my bike down to the Venice Beach area to get out and get some sun and exercise. Along with all the local characters, street performers, and beachgoers, one can't help but notice the background music that fills the air. It comes from the open air shops, from boom boxes, from skating guitar players with amps strapped to their bodies-it comes from everywhere. What else do you notice? No jazz!
Thank you for your beautifully-written observations and thoughts about jazz in the 21st century and how it can attract young listeners when given a chance. I too have noticed that my young music students become enthralled by great music--whether jazz, classical or otherwise--and if given the choice, I believe more of them will respond to jazz positively. Yesterday I played a recording of "Moonlight in Vermont" sung by Ella Fitzgerald for a young voice student and she became instantly transfixed by this wonderful music and legendary voice. Unfortunately, today's youth will never hear the most wonderful music ever written by the greatest composers (in any genre--jazz, classical, opera, you name it) if left only to the influence of mainstream/pop radio. It will require the influence of those of us who know about this great music (parents and grandparents, please step up!) to share it with those of the next generation.
Dr. Tish Oney
The Peggy Lee Project
09/04/08 2:00 PM
WELL WRITTEN, COGENT, HIP TO THE (MUSICAL) CULTURE. VEDDY INTERESTING. AND VALIDATES MY VIEW OF THE JAZZ SCENE FIRST FORMULATED AFTER TRYING (A LONG TIME AGO) TO MAKE A LIVING @ PLAYING THE MUSIC I LOVE AS A DRUMMER, THEN LATER, A SINGER (STILL TRY). MY VIEW: THE MAJORITY OF THE "SHEEPLE" (LOVE THAT WORD) WILL NEVER 'GET IT,' BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THEIR PEERS NEVER 'GOT IT', AND STILL DON'T. iT TAKES KIND OF A RUGGED INDIVIDUAL TO REALLY "GET IT," & THERE ARE JUST NOT ENOUGH OF THOSE PEOPLE AROUND. THE HUMAN RACE SEEMS TO CONSIST MAINLY NOW OF THE "HERD". WHATEVER HAPPENED TO INDIVIDUALITY?--------THANX, MARTKRITE
MARKRITE
03/12/09 11:05 AM
All art is communication of the artist's ideas, sounds, thoughts; without that no one will support the artist.
– Lionel Hampton
Q: What do you call a beautiful woman on a trombonist's arm?
A: A tattoo
