NEWS RELEASE

Pianist/Composer Paul Serrato
Live in Japan September 15, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York --July 7, 2007

New York label, Graffiti Productions, has announced that pianist/composer Paul Serrato will be in concert September 15, 2007 in Japan. The piano solo event will be in Toyota City at Nohgakudo Concert Hall. This new hall which was completed in 2003 and seats 1000 is also a renowned center for Noh Drama Theatre.

Serrato will be performing music from his CDcatalog, including his current release, Pianomania, enjoying popular success on jazz radio throughout the U.S.

Produced by Hiromi Kinoshita, the concert is being sponsored by Ronald McDonald House Charities. The organization provides programs to help families with children in need through appropriate hospital settings, family rooms and mobile care programs.

Paul feels a kinship with this cause since, in addition to producing music, he works for the New York City schools, teaching English to immigrants in underserved communities. This is his first Japanese tour....

For additional information, contact :
Ms. Hiromi Kinoshita at underthetree@msj.biglobe.ne.jp
Website: www.paulserrato.com    END ####

May 7, 2006 Paul Serrato performs for the “Music in Chelsea” Series at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in New York CLICK HERE.

March 16, 2006 - WVAS-FM Mongomery, Alabama Featured Interview with Alice McCree on "The Album Hour" - Excursions

For additional press information, contact: Graffiti Productions, 1-800-75-NEXUS

Serrato & Co. Presents EXCURSIONS NEW YORK / April 11, 2005

 New York club veteran Paul Serrato is set to release Excursions on May 16, 2005, his fifth CD under the Graffiti Productions label.

Original jazz with a worldly outlook, Excursions includes an infectious Brazilian suite. Though written at different times, the three musical journeys that make up the suite are a diary of an encounter that Serrato had in Rio a number of years ago with Vinicius de Moraes, the legendary bossa nova wordsmith. Serrato was lucky enough to have been a guest at the former Brazilian diplomat's home, where many stories were shared about life in the heart of New York jazz on West 52nd Street after World War II. Having already been a fan of his "Afro-Sambas" with Baden Powell, Serrato emerged feeling reborn.

Enveloped in Latin beats, Excursions, maintains a solid straight-ahead base with Serrato's fluid compositional style. "The impetus of my own writing has been the now classic styles of Dizzy, Horace, Herbie and all those cats who made and broke the jazz writing molds during what we view now as the legacy of a golden age," shared Serrato.

From the spellbinding "Afrochant" to the delicious grooves of the "Nardis" percussion duet, each song is a reflection of the dynamic creative range of this master pianist. For instance, the interplay between the quartet in "Grand Central Bossa" dances with energy and excitement, while the flowing piano lines of "The Marrying Kind" embraces a sentimental edge. Sensuously intimate and playfully revealing, Excursions celebrates the influences of Brazil, while embracing the intercultural vibes of Serrato's favorite muse - New York.

"Paul Serrato takes the raw material of his life's journey and tells his story that is growing more joyful and richer with time." - Jazz Review

If you'd like to learn more about this artist, please visit www.paulserrato.com. For interview scheduling, appearance and promotional materials, please contact Graffiti Productions at 1-800-75-NEXUS or ppaulblues@aol.com. # # #

Notable on-air Jazz Radio Interviews:

REVIEW by Turiya Mareya... "...original Jazz pulling on diverse influences and using Latin Percussion."

Click here to read the review (copied below).

Featured Artist: Paul Serrato
CD Title: More Than Red
Year: 2002
Record Label: Graffiti Productions
Style: Cool Jazz
Musicians: Paul Serrato - piano, Julio Feliciano - conga, Henry Morales - conga, Jack "Kako" Sanchez - bongo, Walter Kingsley - trumpet, Chip Shelton - flute, Bryce Sebastien - basses, Rudy Romero - syndrum.

Review: Composer and Pianist Paul Serrato has been working out in the New York Music Scene since the 1960s. His latest CD, "More Than Red" is released on Graffiti Productions, Serrato's independent label, which shows what high quality music unsigned bands can produce and features an eclectic mix from blues to Afro-Cuban. There is an attempt to use the basic Jazz Quartet form in different ways as Paul pulls on his experiences writing for off Broadway shows and New York Club Acts. He shows an interest in the use of textures and orchestrating instruments in new ways. There is a clean uncluttered sound with an emphasis on the the compositions and the instrumental textures. There are no power solos or pyrotechnical bursts, just solid, intelligent, relaxed music.

It features on Percussion the late Julio Feliciano on Congas (who passed at 40 years of age shortly after the release of this CD) as well as Henry Morales also on Congas and Jack "Kako" Sanchez on bongos. Bassist Bryce Sebastien displays technical chops and swinging bowed solos. Chip Shelton plays Flute, Rudy Romero is on Syndrum and Walter Kingsly plays trumpet. This is not traditional Latin Jazz, in that there are no Montunos or Tumbaos and the music is more meditative than dance inducing.

This is original Jazz pulling on diverse influences and using Latin Percussion. There is no trap set or walking bass lines removing this music from the Straight ahead category. Serrato refers to himself as living in "the multicultural axis of expression" in New York City and he has his own voice and the freedom as an independent artist to stay true to that his vision. He also plays gorgeous, sweet piano.

 

Sounds of the city...
interpreted in a brand new way by Paul Serrato
- a veteran of New York's club scene.

Article by Tad Lathrop, Editor JAZZ GIANTS

Originality in music is hard to come by. Most artists exist as a kind of active composite of the music they have learned and absorbed over a long stretch of time. Uniqueness emerges most often from the particular way a performer reworks his assimilated influences: in the projection of sound through idiosyncrasies of personality, accidentally establishing a fresh new voice.

An especially distinctive sound emerges from the vocals, keyboard and songs of Paul Serrato. But the blend is no accident. Serrato is a long-time veteran of New York's club scene, currently leading his own four-piece jazz-funk performing unit. The amalgam of styles, sounds and reflections heard in Serrato's music is multifaceted, yet homogenous.

It is ultimately an urban synthesis: rap vocals (with a hint of Mose Allison) laid over techno-funk and world-beat rhythms; a taste of Broadway/cabaret juxtaposed over a group sound reminiscent of Miles Davis circa "In a Silent Way"; a surprise influx of dissonant chord clusters exploding into Cecil Taylor single-line eighth notes; a funkified rhythm section that keeps the sound on solid ground, even as the layers of harmony edge toward the far reaches of tonality.

But beyond these varied ingredients and sound bites is the new voice through which they are projected --an individualist's musical vision that draws character from the way it blends its chosen colors and textures. On the immediate level, "streetwise" is the attitude conveyed.

Listen harder and you'll hear the sound of refined musicianship. Paul Serrato has consolidated a wealth of musical experiences into a tightly knit, contemporary, electrified sound that satisfies the taste for jazz without skipping the pop-funk beat. It's street graffiti music, with the added depth of sophisticated harmony - and in that mix, Serrato has achieved his own special brand of sound.

- Tad Lathrop, Editor JAZZ GIANTS, Billboard Books

A Brief Sketch of Paul Serrato - Musician and Composer

This Omaha, Nebraska native began his musical studies at the age of ten at the keys of the family piano. A small shortwave radio and the bopping grooves of jazz would stimulate an intense interest in the language of music. By the time he was a teenager, Serrato was composing his own songs, while also dedicating his studies to classical repertory and solo performance. It didn't take long for this young talent to discover he had an ear for lyric composition.

After graduating high school, Serrato attended Boston University for two semesters - but the proximity of New York City lured him away. The vitality of the New York jazz scene, particularly the singers and pianists, had a lasting effect on his composing and performance style. He began providing music for the thriving off-off Broadway theater movement, and was recognized for bringing a jazz feel and attitude to the downtown musical.

During the 1960s and 70s several Andy Warhol Superstars performed his songs extensively in shows and cabarets. In the 1980s, Serrato began experimenting with fusion and combo composition. Of special interest was the interaction of not just the musicians, but the instruments themselves. The result was a piano voice that extended the music beyond the arrangements.

In 1990-91 Serrato produced Nexus, a debut album of varied moods and styles, including jazz, funk, and rap - all strongly evocative of the urban scene. The song lyrics have a social, sometimes dark edge. Media interest and radio play led to continued releases by his company, Graffiti Productions.

Shortly after the release of Nexus, the pianist began sharing ideas in a "workshop situation" that encouraged a diverse group of musicians to collectively master charts and arrangements in both the practice room and live setting. This cluster of New York working artists is represented in his 1996 release, Neon Palm Tree, a continuum of performances in the period since Nexus. Neon Palm Tree was described by Serrato as a "multi-urbanicious" statement, diverse in both content and presentation.

In January, 2002, More Than Red was independently released on Serrato's Graffiti Productions label, and almost instantly found a niche on jazz radio across the nation, demonstrating critic Turiya Mareya's observation of "what high quality music unsigned bands can produce." The acoustic piano vibe, Afro-Cuban licks and Latin percussion struck a chord with jazz and blues listeners alike. The record steadily climbed the Yellow Dog Jazz Chart, maintaining its niche for three months, and was included in Jason Crane's (WGMC Jazz Radio, Rochester, NY) list of the twenty best jazz releases of 2002.

Serrato's fourth release, Origami (2004), would show yet another side of this dynamic artist. Featuring a mix of world rhythm, flowing melodies, piano blues and just plain straight-ahead swing, this Graffiti Productions project would be greeted by critics with rave reviews. "Paul Serrato takes the raw material of his life's journey and tells his story that is growing more joyful and richer with time," said Jazzreview.com.

How does this biographer of melodies sum up his own work? "Art Tatum said that every piano player has their own story to tell. We could extend that to every composer, group or ensemble. I channel my own feelings and emotions into what I write and perform - the music."

For Immediate Release:

More Than Red

Music as a Prevailing Experience - Searching for Common Threads of the Urban Experience

Paul Serrato, composer and pianist, has been applying his music roots in jazz and contemporary music to the diverse music scene of New York since the 1960s. In More Than Red, a new CD release, Serrato has produced a disk that crosses jazz borders. The musicians pursue textures as well as grooves, to explore jazz traditions with a "downtown" New York edge. Blues, ballads, and Afro-Cuban all contribute to the urban mix.

The record has been released on Graffiti Productions, Serrato's independent label. More Than Red was produced in the spirit of the rich Latin jazz heritage of piano and percussion explorations by such diverse artists as Erroll Garner, Billy Taylor, Nina Simone, Candido, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, and many others. This is a unique jazz tradition, which continues to fascinate pianists and Latin percussionists alike. DJ Tom Mongelli has described Paul's music as a non-romanticized "gritty reflection of the urban landscape".

Paul Serrato views the jazz quartet/quintet ensemble as a particularly American derivative of the classical string quartet with its endless possibilities. The bass, for example, can be a powerful instrument in its own right, as well as a support sensed in the background. Conversely, the trumpet by nature is a dominating voice which, given the setting, can reveal a romantic, intimate side. Providing a musical canvas in More Than Red which allowed these instruments to paint their own colors was the challenge, and the pleasure.

In New York's protean off-Broadway and club scene of the 1960s and 70s, Paul both arranged and composed music for shows and acts. He wrote several songs for the counter-culture hit, Vain Victory, later featured on the PBS series, An American Family. This offbeat spectacular, featuring Andy Warhol factory Superstars, was the 1970s downtown answer to "Hair". One of the songs, White Shoulders, Black and Blue, has become a standard in Paul's band book. The song received considerable airplay nationally when it was released in 1996 on the CD Neon Palm Tree, in a new definitive arrangement.

Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side could describe many of Paul's 1960s musical activities. "I knew all the people in that song," Serrato says. "They all had acts and shows that I composed music for." Though the Velvet Underground was then the downtown band of choice, some Superstars sought out Paul's music because it was jazz.

Experiments and Extensions

In New York's Chelsea at the Chapel Theatre (later the Limelight disco), Paul composed an original music score for the play Cityscapes 3. The score fused piano blues with a Coplandesque sound palette. As a special event for the vast church space at intermission, he created a fifteen minute work of "found sound", or "musique concrete", entitled Broadway Electronic. This was a sound image of urban surrealism. A portion of this can be heard mixed into Street Smarts, one of the selections on Paul's Nexus CD.

For Coney Island of the Resigned, Paul composed music, and adapted and composed texts for soprano and piano. This vocal triptych ranged in expression from lyricism to surreal sprechstimme. The work was performed in recital at Christ and St. Stephen's Church on New York's West Side, and at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In the 1980s Paul led a band called Declining Income. "We were all very politically minded," he says. This group became band-in-residence for the Commotion Poets, a cluster of bright writing/performance talent. Performances were in cafes and theatres. The band was the first to perform on multiple occasions with the poets on the Staten Island Ferry. Audiences in St. Peter's Church in the Citicorp Building in Manhattan have heard several firsts by Paul. His songs have been performed there, both with Serrato as soloist, and with gospel/jazz singer L.D. Frazier on Jazz Vespers programs, and at All-Night Soul concerts. St. Peter's music fans have also heard the Paul Serrato Group at Jazz for the Homeless concerts.

Independent Enterprise

As the independent music movement of the 90s gained momentum, Paul recognized an opportunity to participate and market his music in a new way. The moment had come to start recording the considerable body of music that had developed in venues over time. Recording had become a new, exciting medium to master. Further, the challenge of listeners and potential fans nationwide became a really exciting prospect. Nexus was the first release in this new venture. Paul performed Stage Door Johnny, a jazz portrait of a nocturnal Times Square Character, on the Joe Franklin Show. Nexus succeeded in generating national airplay, encouraging Paul to continue producing.

At this time, New York City radio audiences heard the live premiere of Life and Death of a Graffiti Artist on WBAI-FM. This three-movement work, a response to the controversial Michael Stewart police custody case, was an urban fusion of jazz, classical elements, and funk. Selections from it are on Nexus, and More Than Red. Serrato's theme music for Not Limited, an interview TV program produced in Los Angeles in the mid-90s, was heard in many Western states.

During this period, the Serrato Group was featured on See How It Is, on Manhattan cable. In 2000, NY Artists Unlimited, an 18-year-old multicultural actor's touring company, created Song of the Simple Truth, a bilingual adaptation of the work of Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos. Paul was commissioned to compose music for the project. The result was a choral setting of the poem Universal Dead, performed by the repertory company.

Future releases from Graffiti Productions include Jackie Curtis: The Marrying Kind. This is a rediscovered early producing venture by Paul. A forgotten studio session, it comprises a collection of surprisingly romantic vocals by an eclectic performance artist who "took a walk on the wild side" and died of a heroin overdose in 1985.

For ever-growing numbers of fans, a plentitude of new music will be forthcoming from Paul Serrato and Co.

More Than Red Popular Response:

I love your piano compositions! - Hiromi Tsuruta, designer, NYC

The new CD is fantastic! I love it. Please send me two more - thanks. - Sean Justice, photographer, NYC

What a great CD - it's your best yet! - Bonnie Forward, acting coach, Santa Monica, CA

I absolutely love it! I continue to play it in high rotation - it feels like a classic. - Colleen Delaney, actress, Silver Spring, MD

It's great! I can't stop playing it - don't stop! - Gloria Concepcion, restaurateur, Sebring, FL

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Excursions

ORIGAMI


More Than Red
one of the TOP 20 Jazz releases of 2002!


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Neon Palm Tree

 

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NEXUS

 

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