Paul Flaherty

Paul Flaherty (born November 6, 1948, Hartford, Connecticut) is a legendary American saxophonist who plays primarily in free improvisational idioms.

Alto and tenor saxophonist Paul Flaherty is New England's purveyor of the ecstatic jazz pulse. Even before his 1978 debut Flaherty remained unshakable in the pursuit of soul healing and demon dashing through freedom music. That first record, In the Midst of Chaos was cut with his local clan, under the banner Orange. For the next 20 years Flaherty remained exclusively in the great North East and recording over a dozen blasting, freely improvised albums with drummer Randall Colbourne, and others, for Cadence and their own Zaabway imprint. Since 2001 Flaherty's notoriety has risen in tandem with his hyper-acclaimed duo with drummer Chris Corsano and collaborations Dream/Aktion Unit (with Jim O'Rourke and Thurston Moore), Cold Bleak Heat, Dredd Foole, Joe McPhee, Steve Baczkowski, Marc Edwards, and many others.

"He's been at it since the '70s and has become an underground champion of chasing the Eternal Now. The subject of these sonic musings is freedom--freedom from the constraints of traditional harmonic, melodic, and compositional forms--freedom to go, baby, go wherever the Spirit takes him."