About

Paul Giess is a trumpet player, music maker and educator living in Philadelphia.  Paul uses music education and performance as a tool for community building and bearing healing messages.  Downbeat magazine noted his “lyrical, highly expressive trumpet work”, a characteristic he takes with him into all of his work.  

Paul started his 2023 with his debut at the NYC Winter Jazz Fest, as a side musicians with Jamaaladeen Tacuma’s Jet Set, sharing the stage with Billy Martin, Brandon Lopez, Lee Odem and Jamaaladeen.    

Paul’s most recent releases include “seeds” and “duet w hickory run”, meditative pieces that feature a new direction for Paul’s music, including sounds and samples from elements of nature.  This new music also feature Paul producing, recording, mixing and mastering the music from top to bottom.  

Paul’s last full length album “Hymn’s Vol. 1” was released in August of 2021 on Ropeadope Records.  Produced by Jamaaladeen Tacuma, this music features Paul’s original arrangements of hymns and spirituals from the Unitarian Universalist hymn book , the hymnal Paul grew up with in church.  Additionally the work features the illustrious vocal stylings of V. Shayne Frederick, who’s spirit shines with a vibrance we’ve only come to expect from Mr. Frederick.  

Paul spent 7 years working at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Performing Arts where he started as a Teaching Artists and eventually his role matured to Education Coordinator where he worked closely under Artist Director and prolific educator Lovett Hines in the  implementation of the esteemed education program. 

 In 2018 Paul completed a McKnight Visiting Composers Residency, awarded through the American Composers Forum.  For this residency Paul collaborated with MSS, a community of artists with disabilities in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.  Over two months Paul work-shopped with MSS to record original music and produce a live concert featuring his collaborators from MSS.

While working at the Center for Creative Works, a vocational arts center for Adults with Developmental Disabilities Paul established Pop Pop Pop Records.  Paul produced and released several albums featuring the artists at CCW and produced concerts to support their work at community parks, the Free Library of Philadelphia and at CCW.

Paul’s debut album “U Suite U” was self released in 2015, opening and closing with the hymns his church ceremoniously opened and closed each service with.  Between these book ends Paul offers original compositions that explore life and death of family members, romantic relationships and professional struggles.
 
Paul’s composition "Prayer for Mimi" has been included in the Philadelphia Real Book, published in the spring of 2017.  This composition has also been selected to be included in the second edition of this publication.  In December of 2015 Paul was the trumpet player in the critically acclaimed performance of the musical Black Nativity, hosted by Theater Horizon in Norristown.  Black Nativity won a Barrymore award for Best Musical Ensemble.  In January of 2015 Paul traveled to New Orleans Louisiana to be the musical director for an original theater work, “AMERICANA”.