Paul Klempau began playing cello at the age of 8. It wasn't until he attended
the local Jr. College, when the swinging sounds of jazz caught his ear, and he
made the switch to string bass. Playing in the college jazz band, Paul met a
local jazz musician of the B-3 organ, Pete Baker, who took Paul under his "Wing,"
introducing him to some of the standards and vocabulary of jazz. It was this
opportunity that led Paul to play in local big bands and combo's and introduce
him to the jazz community . Paul's quest for greater understanding of the bass
led him to study with bassist and composer, Rufus Reid. Shortly after that, Paul
received a scholarship to the Berkley School Of Music in Boston. Some of his
career highlight include performing at the Lionel Hampton Jazz festival,
Recording at Capitol Studios in Hollywood with the Stan Kenton Alumni
band, and sharing the stage with Wynton Marsalis in his home town of
Nevada City CA.
Now residing in the Sacramento area, Paul makes his living teaching the
bass, and freelancing as a performer. He is currently attending CSUS to complete his
undergrad in jazz studies. You can catch him performing with the CSUS Big Band,
CSUS Latin Band, and of course in J A Z Z G I T A N where he provides the hard
driving, virtuoso bass lines of "le jazz hot."