Manteca Beat
Austin, Texas, United States | SELF | AFM
Music
Press
"Paul Klemperer is one of the best sax players working in Texas. His band Manteca Beat really delivers. Great performances, and blues fans will recognize a lot of the names on the new CD." - KPFT Radio, Houston
¡¨Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to hit the floor! Manteca Beat is bringing the party to your home tonight¡KThey have enough versatility to warm wide audiences.¡¨ ¡V O¡¦s Place Jazz Newsletter.
- 0's Place Jazz Newsletter
¡§The first minute of this album begs you to dance a little two-step with your honey and shout 'Ow, shake it, now!'¡KWith a solid stock of musicians that comprise Manteca Beat, a nicely diverse mix of compositions and arrangements, and a clear sense of what audiences like, Klemperer proves that he remains at the top of his game.¡¨ ¡V Ronald Jackson, Jazzreview.
- Jazzreview Magazine
Discography
"Manteca-licious!" - 2007
"Man In Chamber" - 2005
"Texas Tenure" - 1999
Photos
Bio
Saxophonist and bandleader Paul Klemperer has played with many great Texas blues and R&B bands, including Marcia Ball, Malford Milligan, Doyle Brahmhall, to name a few.
In 2004, as part of Nick Curran & The Nitelifes, he won the W.C. Handy Award for Best New Artist.
Manteca Beat is a regional finalist in the Emergenza International Festival, and is dedicated to bringing the grease of Texas & Gulf Coast R&B to audiences around the world.
Paul's sax style has been compared to King Curtis, Jr. Walker and Grover Washington. His tone and energy get attention wherever he plays. The Chicago Tribune noted his intense "brassy sax work" and The Boston Globe described the energy at a live show: ¡§Paul Klemperer came to center stage with his honking tenor sax...The dancers crowded the front of the stage.¡¨
Paul has toured throughout the U.S. and internationally for over 20 years, pleasing crowds with the sincerity, warmth and energy of his music.
In a recent interview he explained: "I formed Manteca Beat to focus on a particular niche, the classic R&B, blues and souljazz sound that roughly spanned the 1940s-60s. It's kind of arbitrary to block music off into these niches, but sometimes it is necessary, to help folks get to know you.
My friends know me as a saxophone player with a bit of a wild hair; I play many styles and I draw from many musical inspirations, but I always try to play from the heart.
"I have played in great swing bands, blues bands, Motown-soul bands, world music, ska/reggae, Latin jazz... the list spirals out into the cosmos. I draw on all my musical experiences for the repertoire and feel in Manteca Beat's music, but the unifying theme is that the music has soul, has a little grease.
"I want people to come in from whatever they were doing and wherever they are at, and feel at home, let the music warm you and tickle you. Maybe you will recognize some of the songs, maybe the music will stir old memories. Maybe it will inspire some new ones. Maybe you will listen, maybe you will dance. Let's get together and see what may be."
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