Music
Press
The Dr. Seuss Project is a new musical endeavour from Massachusetts led by pianist Paul Bloom. Joined by, amongst others, a cellist and a tenor sax player, the sextet have expressed the Dr. Seuss stories via the medium of jazz.
Fifty minutes of jazz may be a lot to take in one sitting but if there are two words to describe ‘The Dr. Seuss Project’ it would be “playful jazz”. ‘Cat In The Hat’ features cracking key changes which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Steely Dan record. ‘One Fish. Two Fish’ contains a lovely, warm melody at its centre whilst the beginning, middle and the end sees the tune ‘Oh The Places You’ll Go’ reprised but with a different shade of mood on each take. Not everything works as well as intended. So the somewhat random flow of ‘Green Eggs & Ham’ and ‘Yertle The Turtle’ sound more like improvised takes, albeit of the proficient variety.
As tributes go, this is one of the most affectionate and without ever running the risk of sounding too reverential. Indeed, the musicians sound like they’re having fun and evoke the humour, melancholy, confusion and sheer joy of the stories they are based on. - Leonard's Lair Music Reviews
Discography
The Dr. Seuss Project
Polenta EP (Laila Smith & Paul Bloom Duo)
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Bio
Paul hates writing about himself in the third person, but still attempts it when necessary.
Paul is a 19 year old pianist, composer, teacher, and Dr. Seuss aficionado currently studying in the Brubeck Fellowship Program at the University of the Pacific. He grew up in the Boston area, where he attended Needham High School and took part in the New England Conservatory prep program. Paul has been teaching extensively over the past few years, including working with students at the El Sistema-based pilot program Youth Making Music Together , instructing a jazz combo at the Pollard Middle School, and giving private lessons and masterclasses to students of all ages.
In the summer of 2012 Paul released an album of original compositions based on Dr. Seuss characters, places, and plots entitled The Dr. Seuss Project. Most recently, he and vocalist Laila Smith released a duo EP called Polenta of collaboratively written songs.
Paul has been part of the Berklee Summer Programs, the Litchfield Jazz Camp, the Stanford Jazz Residency, the Next Generation Jazz Festival, and the Brubeck Summer Colony. He has also had the opportunity to learn from many incredible artists including Tiger Okoshi, Julian Lage, Stefon Harris, Taylor Eigsti, Aristides Rivas, Hal Crook, Ken Schaphorst, Ryan Keberle, Dave Zoffer, Doug Johnson, Steve Sussman, Wes Wirth, Austin McMahon, and Jeff Galindo.
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