Event

Paul Hanson's Homecoming

Paul Hanson is a leading jazz bassoonist whose repertoire encompasses musical aspects of all modern styles of improvised music. From his roots as an award-winning classical bassoonist and jazz saxophonist, Paul has expanded the lexicon of his instrument while creating a unique musical voice. A virtuosic player and veteran of the Bay Area ensemble Davka, Hanson played for Cirque du Soleil in Japan for four years. When he returned, he began to explore the music introduced to him by his father, a former member of the Klezmorim, the iconic Berkeley band that pioneered the klezmer revival in the late 1970s. These explorations led to the composition of "Homecoming." Paul has recorded and/or performed with artists in jazz, rock, and r&b on recordings and in concert all over the world. Paul was the 1996 Grand Prize winner of JAZZIZ Magazine's Woodwinds on Fire award, the first bassoonist ever to win. He was awarded an NEA Jazz Fellowship in 1995. Paul was featured on Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' Grammy-winning album Outbound in 2000.