The transitions between old-school swing, lyrical balladry, and more contemporary rhythmic textures are seamless, unified by a consistent tonal sensibility and an emphasis on clarity, restraint, and melodic integrity.
—Thierry de Clemensat, Paris Move
With The Stillness of July (Calligram Records, 2026), Milwaukee-based guitarist Paul Silbergleit presents a long-overdue recording debut for his trio with bassist Clay Schaub and drummer Devin Drobka, a unit whose chemistry comes through whether in performance of intricate new material or the most straightforward reading of a standard. Drawing on an eclectic repertoire of original compositions, unique arrangements, and off-the-beaten-path gems from Charlie Parker, Stevie Wonder, and Broadway, the album moves from old-school swinging to spacious ballad to something more modern, unified throughout by what Silbergleit describes as “both creativity and a natural songfulness."
“There are ways that this band makes me feel uniquely free to play, and to leave space," says Silbergleit. “I can trust these guys to be tasteful, sincere, sensitive, supportive, and present — as well as creative and groovin'—in a way that allows and inspires me to stretch out and explore, like rarely before."
For Silbergleit, a Milwaukee fixture who has performed alongside Jack McDuff, Melvin Rhyne, Phil Woods, and Benny Golson and authored instructional books for Hal Leonard including Play Like Joe Pass and 25 Great Jazz Guitar Solos, the album marks his first trio recording—a setting that places greater demands on the guitarist to cover both melody and harmony, and one he has long wanted to document. He brings three previously unrecorded originals alongside arrangements that have been part of the trio's working repertoire for years.
Drummer Devin Drobka was a promising Milwaukee-area teen musician before heading east to Berklee and New York, returning with a precision and depth that encompasses old-school swing, bop, and the avant-garde. Silbergleit is fond of pointing out to audiences the remarkable ratio of sound to drums Drobka achieves with a minimal kit. Bassist Clay Schaub arrived in Milwaukee in 2013 when his wife joined the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and brought with him a big acoustic sound rooted in the jazz tradition, as well as a habit of singing along with his solos (which is faintly audible on these tracks) that drew an unlikely compliment from engineer Larry Phillabaum during mixing: “I've never liked hearing singing with bass solos…but I like this!"
The trio first performed together in the summer of 2014 at a jazz guitar showcase at the Estate in Milwaukee, and have since played together countless times in clubs, at festivals, and at private events.
The album opens with “How Shallow the Duck Pond," a lively medium swinger Silbergleit wrote during the pandemic on a streamlined version of the changes to “How Deep Is the Ocean"—the title, he admits, a deliberate act of wise-guy-ness. “Ribbons Down My Back," a song of longing from the middle of Hello, Dolly! that Silbergleit had never heard anyone else sing or play, receives a quietly beautiful instrumental treatment. Stevie Wonder's “Summer Soft"—which Silbergleit has felt deserved hit status alongside “Isn't She Lovely" and “Sir Duke" since Songs in the Key of Life came out when he was a kid—is largely cast in 7/8 time, though its grand arc remains intact from quiet intro to tremendous build, culminating in what he describes simply as “a mind-blowing drum solo from Devin." “Getting to Know You" from The King and I swings easily at a medium groove, Drobka opening with a relaxed conga feel. “Poinciana," a longtime Ahmad Jamal touchstone, is adapted here to guitar with the augmenting touch of a chorus pedal; Silbergleit calls it one of his favorite tracks on the album.
The second half opens with “Bongo Beep," a lesser-known Charlie Parker blues that was Drobka's idea to add to the repertoire, with an improvisational intro and coda contributed by Schaub. “Riversong," an original written on the chord changes to Coltrane's “Central Park West," moves considerably faster, shifting between a 12/8 feel and a samba-esque groove—an excellent vehicle for Drobka to solo over a steady vamp from guitar and bass. “With You," a lovely ballad from Pippin that lodged itself in Silbergleit's head when he played it in a pit orchestra as a near-novice guitarist in 1982, receives a Metheny-inflected chord-melody opening. The album closes with “Enter the Fall," a short, ominous, up-tempo original whose compact form belies its harmonic complexity.
Some of Silbergleit's own favorite moments on the album are simply in his interaction with Schaub during bass solos — he is as attentive to the group's subtle dynamics as he is to the individual high points. This is indeed a record that rewards close listening.
“There are ways that this band makes me feel uniquely free to play, and to leave space," says Silbergleit. “I can trust these guys to be tasteful, sincere, sensitive, supportive, and present — as well as creative and groovin'—in a way that allows and inspires me to stretch out and explore, like rarely before."
For Silbergleit, a Milwaukee fixture who has performed alongside Jack McDuff, Melvin Rhyne, Phil Woods, and Benny Golson and authored instructional books for Hal Leonard including Play Like Joe Pass and 25 Great Jazz Guitar Solos, the album marks his first trio recording—a setting that places greater demands on the guitarist to cover both melody and harmony, and one he has long wanted to document. He brings three previously unrecorded originals alongside arrangements that have been part of the trio's working repertoire for years.
Drummer Devin Drobka was a promising Milwaukee-area teen musician before heading east to Berklee and New York, returning with a precision and depth that encompasses old-school swing, bop, and the avant-garde. Silbergleit is fond of pointing out to audiences the remarkable ratio of sound to drums Drobka achieves with a minimal kit. Bassist Clay Schaub arrived in Milwaukee in 2013 when his wife joined the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and brought with him a big acoustic sound rooted in the jazz tradition, as well as a habit of singing along with his solos (which is faintly audible on these tracks) that drew an unlikely compliment from engineer Larry Phillabaum during mixing: “I've never liked hearing singing with bass solos…but I like this!"
The trio first performed together in the summer of 2014 at a jazz guitar showcase at the Estate in Milwaukee, and have since played together countless times in clubs, at festivals, and at private events.
The album opens with “How Shallow the Duck Pond," a lively medium swinger Silbergleit wrote during the pandemic on a streamlined version of the changes to “How Deep Is the Ocean"—the title, he admits, a deliberate act of wise-guy-ness. “Ribbons Down My Back," a song of longing from the middle of Hello, Dolly! that Silbergleit had never heard anyone else sing or play, receives a quietly beautiful instrumental treatment. Stevie Wonder's “Summer Soft"—which Silbergleit has felt deserved hit status alongside “Isn't She Lovely" and “Sir Duke" since Songs in the Key of Life came out when he was a kid—is largely cast in 7/8 time, though its grand arc remains intact from quiet intro to tremendous build, culminating in what he describes simply as “a mind-blowing drum solo from Devin." “Getting to Know You" from The King and I swings easily at a medium groove, Drobka opening with a relaxed conga feel. “Poinciana," a longtime Ahmad Jamal touchstone, is adapted here to guitar with the augmenting touch of a chorus pedal; Silbergleit calls it one of his favorite tracks on the album.
The second half opens with “Bongo Beep," a lesser-known Charlie Parker blues that was Drobka's idea to add to the repertoire, with an improvisational intro and coda contributed by Schaub. “Riversong," an original written on the chord changes to Coltrane's “Central Park West," moves considerably faster, shifting between a 12/8 feel and a samba-esque groove—an excellent vehicle for Drobka to solo over a steady vamp from guitar and bass. “With You," a lovely ballad from Pippin that lodged itself in Silbergleit's head when he played it in a pit orchestra as a near-novice guitarist in 1982, receives a Metheny-inflected chord-melody opening. The album closes with “Enter the Fall," a short, ominous, up-tempo original whose compact form belies its harmonic complexity.
Some of Silbergleit's own favorite moments on the album are simply in his interaction with Schaub during bass solos — he is as attentive to the group's subtle dynamics as he is to the individual high points. This is indeed a record that rewards close listening.
