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Paul Carmichael

Paul Carmichael - Bassist, Bandleader, Composer

About Me

My obsession with playing bass and improvising made me go professional around the age of 21. I played in bars and clubs around town at night, and by day practiced and rehearsed. This was in the late 70s. Soon after that I met Ian Carr (trumpeter and composer,) who ran the classic British Jazz Rock band Nucleus. This led to several tours of Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

Through that I met Gary Husband, (drummer with Level 42, John McLaughlin) and Allan Holdsworth. Allan was trying to create a solo project and so we started a band that also included Paul Williams on vocal. This became the IOU band. It resulted in Allan’s first solo Album “IOU” and we debuted it in Los Angeles in the early 80s.

I returned to London to continue touring with Barbara Thomson’s Paraphernalia and Jon Hiseman (Colosseum). I made some recordings were with Dominic Miller (now with Sting). And John Themis solo albums (now a successful writer/producer). I also met the Singer Songwriter Vanessa Haynes (now with Incognito) and together we wrote tracks for her debut CD that was released in 2006 on my new label Change of Weather Records. We worked on that project with Jeff Young (Keyboard player with Jackson Browne, Steely Dan) and Richard Bailey on drums (Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood), and guitarist Dave Ital, we recorded at Eastcote Studios, in Notting Hill Gate.

When I started recording the new Album, Wax is Melting at the beginning of 2010 I knew how the music should go since we had been playing it regularly. But on this recording I explored some other ideas about how instrumental improvised music should go, so I prefer to call this a World Album rather than a Jazz album, but its both!

The line up on this new record is amazing: Rick Laughlin (piano), Rob Hughes (Sax, Flute) Vanessa Haynes (vocal on 3 tracks), Nigel Hitchcock (Alto Sax on 2 tracks) Richard Bailey (Drums on 4 tracks) Francesco Mendolia (Drums on 5 tracks) Guest solos from Martin Shaw (Flugel) and Trevor Mires (Trombone), and a series of great guitarists: Chris Standring, Julian Burdock(24 Pesos), Carl Orr (Billy Cobham) Tim Cansfield (Seal), and percussion from Roberto Pla, Jeff Scantlebuy, Satin Singh.

I wrote, arranged, recorded, produced and mixed the whole project, so its been quite a journey!I also have released a retrospective CD of mainly live recordings called IN THE DISTANCE

in 2014 & 2015I Toured with the BOB MALONE BAND in the UK, doing a series of great Blues and New orleans R&B repertoire.

Its now 2017, and I am embarking on a new phase of creativity with new band, my songs and my bass. Hope you can join us on our concerts.

My Jazz Story

Jazz is part of my soul. i like to compose tunes that have an interesting structure which the band can then improvise over.