Biography
Paul was instantly attracted to the trumpet at the age of six years old and very shortly later announced to his parents that he was going to be a professional trumpet player. His formal lessons began at that age but it was the “apprenticeship program” of playing with older kids that Paul attributes as his best influences. Hanging on to the coat tails of those older more experienced kids and playing catch up was a wonderful training ground. By the time he was in ninth grade Paul was playing in local college bands, and by fifteen years old was playing lead in a university band.
It was around that time that his more advanced peers started passing on sub work and Paul’s first “professional gig” was with a big band at a mental institution at the young age of fifteen. That should have been a warning about the things to expect in the crazy music business.
During college Paul became active in the club scene and became a staple in the recording studios playing hundreds of jingles, record dates, and film scores. He adopted the attitude that if there was a hole in the calendar he would take every gig offered, and it was from that varied experience that he gained versatility of style. From polka bands, salsa bands, rock bands, brass quintets, clown bands, pit orchestras, and the studios, he has a wide spectrum of styles. He has played garden parties for ten to crowds of 64,000 in football stadiums.
Since beginning his professional career nearly forty years ago, Paul Baron has amassed an extensive list of credentials, and has become one of the busiest and most well respected lead and commercial trumpet players in Canada. A shortened list of credits include stints with Natalie Cole, Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lou Rawls, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Sheena Easton, Ray Charles, Barry Manilow, Bob Hope, Dionne Warwick, Wayne Newton, Steve Allen, Broadway Divas Patti LuPone and Chita Riviera, and many more. He has toured with The Temptations, Mary Wells, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and has played for virtually all of the Motown groups from The Spinners to The Four Tops to The OJAYS. Recently, Paul performed the Gil Evans/Miles Davis suite of "Porgy and Bess" under the baton of the eminent jazz authority Gunther Schuller. His many recordings include Aerosmith (Grammy Award winning song), Led Zeppelin, INXS, David Lee Roth, Skywalk, Powder Blues, and the Barenaked Ladies, as well as numerous movie and television soundtracks ("Mrs. Doubtfire", "Stargate SG1", "MacGyver", "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective", "First Daughter", "Lake Placid", "Airbud") and is heard on the tracks for the Calgary Stampede and Grey Cup celebrations as lead trumpet. In addition to these performances, Paul may be heard on nearly 1,000 television and radio commercials, including McDonald's, Wendy's, Coke, Pepsi, Ford, Mazda, Toyota and Century 21, Flinstones Vitamins, and many games for Electronic Arts, EA Sports. Paul's musical theater highlights locally include playing first trumpet for the touring companies of "Miss Saigon", "Kiss of the Spider Woman", "Fiddler on the Roof", "West Side Story", "Annie", "Chicago", and "Beauty And The Beast". Paul premiered the first production of Vancouver's hit musical revue "Forever Swing", and has played all of the shows since. Paul has toured extensively in the last ten years with the first national companies of "Forever Swing", "Evita", "Swing", "Cats", "The Full Monty", “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, Broadway legend Chita Rivera's show, "Chita Rivera, The Dancer’s Life", “Monty Python’s Spamalot” starring Richard Chamberlain, 2008 Tony Award winning musical "In The Heights", 2010 Tony winner "Memphis, The Musical", "Sister Act, A Divine Musical Comedy". On a recent hiatus from the road, Paul played for the world premiere of ":Secondhand Lions" for Warner Bros based on their movie of the same name, The 5th Avenue Theater's new musical "A Room With A View", and Gershwin's "Porgy And Bess". In October 2014 Paul opened the first national tour of Disney's "Newsies" to sell-out crowds everywhere. The show broke the all-time record for highest grossing show in a week in Chicago's Theatrical History and just played to the ONE MILLIONTH "Fansie" in January 2016!!! In September 2016 Paul filmed the live capture of "Newsies" filmed at the famed Pantages theater in Los Angeles. It showed in select movie theaters in February to sold out audiences and was the largest grossing movie of it's kind in history. In September 2017 Paul launched Disney's Aladdin playing to sold out audiences for over two years. In February 2020 Paul will launch Disney's latest blockbuster tour, "Frozen".
From Paul's formal education in trumpet performance at Western Washington University, coupled with his invaluable tenure in road bands and virtually every other musical setting, as well as private instruction from trumpet great's Lew Soloff and Gary Guthman, Paul brings a wealth of experience to his teaching. From Paul’s study of martial arts (mostly Aikido) and eastern philosophies, he has incorporated this experience and teaches an efficient use of energy to where it’s needed, in a relaxed, fun, and musical approach.
In addition to his busy playing career, Paul Baron conducts clinics and masterclasses for all levels from grade school to college and university. He has conducted clinics at Western Washington University, Cleveland State University, Selkirk College, Eastern Washington University, The University of Toronto, Humber College, The University of Colorado in Boulder, The University of Utah, Pacific Lutheran University, University of North Carolina, Howard University, as well as many junior and senior high schools. He has adjudicated at The Envision Jazz Festival, Canada's largest and longest-running educational jazz event for three years in row, the Nelson Music Festival, and has been teaching private trumpet lessons for over thirty-five years. As well, he has conducted bands at the University of British Columbia summer music camps.
Paul's first trumpet book, "Trumpet Voluntarily" was released in fall of 2016 as a guide to accompany the wealth of materials already available to teach the player how, what, and when to practice those materials to develop more quickly and efficiently. It remained "best selling new release" for the whole time and is now selling on six continents world wide with sales from Uganda to China, and Sweden to Australia!! Paul's next book, "Trumpet Voluntarily; Three Strategically Designed Warmups To Conquer The Increasing Demands Of Today's Trumpet Player" launched in November 2019 available on qPress. Paul's third and by far largest book was just released in December 2020. "The Broadway Trumpeter" is an anthology of Broadway excerpts spanning decades from the 20's to current hit shows with excerpts from 55 musicals. Along with the excerpts, Paul has written 11 chapters on topics such as preparing for a show, pacing, gig etiquette and more. Preceding each musical are anecdotes, practicing and playing tips with advice on preparing and surviving the demands of show and commercial playing. All totaled this 349 page book is a must have for any aspiring and working trumpet player interested in playing commercial and show music. Volume two of "The Broadway Trumpeter" is scheduled to be released in fall of 2021. All four books are available at qPress.ca in spiral bound hard copy and PDF immediate download.
Paul is proud to be a part of the XO Jupiter musical family as an artist/clinician and plays the JTR-1600S-SRB3 red brass trumpet for classical, the 1600S-SRB3 light weight for lead and commercial, the JFH-1846RL flugel horn, the Jupiter Pocket and Slide trumpets, and the 1700S piccolo trumpet. Paul is also a Pickett Brass artist with a full line of signature mouthpieces for Lead, Studio, Classical, Deep and Medium flugelhorn, Cornet and Piccolo trumpet.
It was around that time that his more advanced peers started passing on sub work and Paul’s first “professional gig” was with a big band at a mental institution at the young age of fifteen. That should have been a warning about the things to expect in the crazy music business.
During college Paul became active in the club scene and became a staple in the recording studios playing hundreds of jingles, record dates, and film scores. He adopted the attitude that if there was a hole in the calendar he would take every gig offered, and it was from that varied experience that he gained versatility of style. From polka bands, salsa bands, rock bands, brass quintets, clown bands, pit orchestras, and the studios, he has a wide spectrum of styles. He has played garden parties for ten to crowds of 64,000 in football stadiums.
Since beginning his professional career nearly forty years ago, Paul Baron has amassed an extensive list of credentials, and has become one of the busiest and most well respected lead and commercial trumpet players in Canada. A shortened list of credits include stints with Natalie Cole, Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lou Rawls, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Sheena Easton, Ray Charles, Barry Manilow, Bob Hope, Dionne Warwick, Wayne Newton, Steve Allen, Broadway Divas Patti LuPone and Chita Riviera, and many more. He has toured with The Temptations, Mary Wells, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and has played for virtually all of the Motown groups from The Spinners to The Four Tops to The OJAYS. Recently, Paul performed the Gil Evans/Miles Davis suite of "Porgy and Bess" under the baton of the eminent jazz authority Gunther Schuller. His many recordings include Aerosmith (Grammy Award winning song), Led Zeppelin, INXS, David Lee Roth, Skywalk, Powder Blues, and the Barenaked Ladies, as well as numerous movie and television soundtracks ("Mrs. Doubtfire", "Stargate SG1", "MacGyver", "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective", "First Daughter", "Lake Placid", "Airbud") and is heard on the tracks for the Calgary Stampede and Grey Cup celebrations as lead trumpet. In addition to these performances, Paul may be heard on nearly 1,000 television and radio commercials, including McDonald's, Wendy's, Coke, Pepsi, Ford, Mazda, Toyota and Century 21, Flinstones Vitamins, and many games for Electronic Arts, EA Sports. Paul's musical theater highlights locally include playing first trumpet for the touring companies of "Miss Saigon", "Kiss of the Spider Woman", "Fiddler on the Roof", "West Side Story", "Annie", "Chicago", and "Beauty And The Beast". Paul premiered the first production of Vancouver's hit musical revue "Forever Swing", and has played all of the shows since. Paul has toured extensively in the last ten years with the first national companies of "Forever Swing", "Evita", "Swing", "Cats", "The Full Monty", “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, Broadway legend Chita Rivera's show, "Chita Rivera, The Dancer’s Life", “Monty Python’s Spamalot” starring Richard Chamberlain, 2008 Tony Award winning musical "In The Heights", 2010 Tony winner "Memphis, The Musical", "Sister Act, A Divine Musical Comedy". On a recent hiatus from the road, Paul played for the world premiere of ":Secondhand Lions" for Warner Bros based on their movie of the same name, The 5th Avenue Theater's new musical "A Room With A View", and Gershwin's "Porgy And Bess". In October 2014 Paul opened the first national tour of Disney's "Newsies" to sell-out crowds everywhere. The show broke the all-time record for highest grossing show in a week in Chicago's Theatrical History and just played to the ONE MILLIONTH "Fansie" in January 2016!!! In September 2016 Paul filmed the live capture of "Newsies" filmed at the famed Pantages theater in Los Angeles. It showed in select movie theaters in February to sold out audiences and was the largest grossing movie of it's kind in history. In September 2017 Paul launched Disney's Aladdin playing to sold out audiences for over two years. In February 2020 Paul will launch Disney's latest blockbuster tour, "Frozen".
From Paul's formal education in trumpet performance at Western Washington University, coupled with his invaluable tenure in road bands and virtually every other musical setting, as well as private instruction from trumpet great's Lew Soloff and Gary Guthman, Paul brings a wealth of experience to his teaching. From Paul’s study of martial arts (mostly Aikido) and eastern philosophies, he has incorporated this experience and teaches an efficient use of energy to where it’s needed, in a relaxed, fun, and musical approach.
In addition to his busy playing career, Paul Baron conducts clinics and masterclasses for all levels from grade school to college and university. He has conducted clinics at Western Washington University, Cleveland State University, Selkirk College, Eastern Washington University, The University of Toronto, Humber College, The University of Colorado in Boulder, The University of Utah, Pacific Lutheran University, University of North Carolina, Howard University, as well as many junior and senior high schools. He has adjudicated at The Envision Jazz Festival, Canada's largest and longest-running educational jazz event for three years in row, the Nelson Music Festival, and has been teaching private trumpet lessons for over thirty-five years. As well, he has conducted bands at the University of British Columbia summer music camps.
Paul's first trumpet book, "Trumpet Voluntarily" was released in fall of 2016 as a guide to accompany the wealth of materials already available to teach the player how, what, and when to practice those materials to develop more quickly and efficiently. It remained "best selling new release" for the whole time and is now selling on six continents world wide with sales from Uganda to China, and Sweden to Australia!! Paul's next book, "Trumpet Voluntarily; Three Strategically Designed Warmups To Conquer The Increasing Demands Of Today's Trumpet Player" launched in November 2019 available on qPress. Paul's third and by far largest book was just released in December 2020. "The Broadway Trumpeter" is an anthology of Broadway excerpts spanning decades from the 20's to current hit shows with excerpts from 55 musicals. Along with the excerpts, Paul has written 11 chapters on topics such as preparing for a show, pacing, gig etiquette and more. Preceding each musical are anecdotes, practicing and playing tips with advice on preparing and surviving the demands of show and commercial playing. All totaled this 349 page book is a must have for any aspiring and working trumpet player interested in playing commercial and show music. Volume two of "The Broadway Trumpeter" is scheduled to be released in fall of 2021. All four books are available at qPress.ca in spiral bound hard copy and PDF immediate download.
Paul is proud to be a part of the XO Jupiter musical family as an artist/clinician and plays the JTR-1600S-SRB3 red brass trumpet for classical, the 1600S-SRB3 light weight for lead and commercial, the JFH-1846RL flugel horn, the Jupiter Pocket and Slide trumpets, and the 1700S piccolo trumpet. Paul is also a Pickett Brass artist with a full line of signature mouthpieces for Lead, Studio, Classical, Deep and Medium flugelhorn, Cornet and Piccolo trumpet.
