Biography

Emanuel Paul (February 2, 1904 – May 23, 1988) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Paul was one of the very first tenor saxophonists to hold regular work in New Orleans jazz, where his instrument often substituted for the baritone horn in a brass band. Paul did not begin playing music until late in his youth, picking up violin at age 18 and then switching to banjo in the middle of the 1920s before settling on tenor sax. He became a member of the Eureka Brass Band in 1940 and remained with them into the 1960s; he also played often with Kid Thomas Valentine from 1942 and recorded with Oscar Celestin, Emanuel Sayles, and the Olympia Brass Band. He led three albums for the European Jazz Macon label in 1967, JMC 137, JMC 147, JMC 157; his sidemen on these records include Valentine, George Lewis, and Butch Thompson. The complete Emanuel Paul discography is on the official Emanuel Paul web site, www.emanuelpaul.com, managed by JP Alessi of Lyon France. Alessi also published a book entitled 'Blues for Manny' in 2010.