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Howard Paul
Member Since: 2011 | Location: Savannah | Page Views: 1,339About Me
Professional jazz guitarist and President/CEO of Benedetto Guitars, Inc.
Howard Paul, President/CEO of Benedetto Guitars, Inc. readily acknowledges that he is fortunate to combine his vocation and avocation. A highly respected jazz guitarist who detoured along the way to study political science, serve in the military, and rise in corporate management, his enthusiasm for his company is infectious. Today, he strikes a delicate but exhausting balance between performance at jazz clubs and concert halls, lectures at universities and music schools, collaborations with artist/endorsers, and running the day-to-day business of manufacturing and sales at the 9,000SF Benedetto Guitars’ workshop located on the south side of Savannah, GA. His business partner Robert Benedetto founded Benedetto Guitars in 1968. Following years of international acclaim as creator of a modern renaissance period in guitarmaking, Benedetto briefly licensed Fender, the world’s largest guitar manufacturer, to build his instruments from 1999 to 2006. Howard Paul joined forces with Benedetto to establish their new, independent company in March 2006. Today Benedetto sells around the world, building over 300 handcrafted guitars a year ranging from $3,000 to $50,000+ each. Their workforce of highly skilled luthiers is among the best in the business, applying from around the globe to vie for a spot on the Benedetto workbench. Howard grew up in Atlantic City, and has been playing guitar since the age of four, jazz from age ten, and began working in both small and big bands at 13. At 17 he joined the prestigious Judy Cahill Trio while teaching music as an adjunct faculty member at Atlantic Community College in N.J. He stopped playing full time to obtain a BA in Political Science from the UNC Greensboro from 1980-1984 and enlisted in the Army in 1986, completing Officer Candidate School before serving in Europe, the Middle East (Desert Storm), Somalia and the U.S. over the next nine years. He left the Army at the rank of Major in 1995 to work for the Olympics before joining Chatham Steel Corporation from 1996-2006. As a musician, he has performed/recorded with jazz guitar legends including Bucky Pizzarelli, Jimmy Bruno, Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins, Joe Beck, Joe Negri, Frank Vignola, Andreas Oberg and small group performances with bassist Ben Tucker, flutist Ali Ryerson, vibraphonist Chuck Redd, bassist Phil Flannigan, Oliver Nelson, Jr. and pianist Bob James. He has lectured at Duquesne, University of Southern California, San Diego State University, University of South Carolina, University of Louisiana, Furman, Winthrop, Berklee College of Music, and Musicians Institute. Howard is a recurring clinician for the National Guitar Workshop, contributing editor to Just Jazz Guitar Magazine, and has twice been a featured artist at The Smithsonian Institutions’ Jazz Café. His most resent release is a duo recording with pianist Bob James titled Just Friends: The Hamilton Hall Sessions. In 2011 Howard was inducted into the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame. Previous honorees include Johnny Mercer, James Moody, Irene Reid, Ben Riley, and Ben Tucker. He lives in Savannah with his attorney/clarinetist wife Patricia, and son Andy.
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AAJ offers a fantastic one-stop location for everything new in jazz. I love the thoughtful and well researched reviews I read.This page was last updated on 2011-09-29.
