Thanks to Mac Randall and Thomas Conrad for this piece in the September issue of JazzTimes. Thanks also to Chris Drukker for his amazing photography. You can read the the full article in print or here on the JazzTimes website. Here’s an excerpt.
Paul Jost Sings His Life
After a long, diverse career, a musician of many instruments now concentrates on one: his voice.
The first time you hear Paul Jost’s new album Simple Life you think, “Who is this guy?” He sings with quirky phrasing. He sometimes talks and often whispers. He also wails, like when he scats across “Blackbird” in a headlong dash. His mannerisms are disarming because he is so believable. He sounds real. His lived-in, slightly frayed voice belongs to someone who has been around the block.
Jost, now 57, has been a professional musician (primarily a drummer) since he was 12. His long list of former employers includes Billy Eckstine and Dr. John. He is a composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher. His compositions have appeared in advertising jingles and also on recordings by Carl Perkins and the Band.
He says, “Singing has always been part of me but it wasn’t how I presented myself. I might sing on a gig if somebody asked me to come up and do a duet or something. But in the last five or six years, singing has felt like a natural progression, part of my journey. When we’re young we’re eager to show our independence, how different we are. As we get older I think we become more aware of how similar we are. I’m looking to connect with people now.”