Paul Cebar
Encyclopedia
Paul Cebar is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and bandleader from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, who has a penchant for African
, Latin American
and Caribbean music
. He has released four albums and an EP with his band, Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans, which have received airplay from triple-A
stations across the US, one album with his current band Paul Cebar and Tomorrow Sound, and one solo album.
and jump blues
songs, played solo on his guitar. He attended New College
in Sarasota, Florida
. Afterwards, he played in New York
while working with the R&B Cadets in Milwaukee.
and R&B combo, The R&B Cadets, along with Jon Sieger, Mike Sieger, Robyn Pluer, Bob Jennings, Juli Wood
and Bob Schneider. The band played Sieger's compositions, along with obscure songs from the mid-century that Cebar had unearthed.
The R&B Cadets released an album entitled Top Happy in 1986, and a 7-inch 33 1/3 entitled Get a Move On in 1981, including song titles Hook, Line, and Sinker, One Is Green, Headin' for the Poor House, and Down by the River.
During this period Paul and Claudia Schmidt
released a 7-inch 45 The Outskirts Of You b/w Baby, It's Cold Outside.
,and bebop
songs, by Louis Jordan
, Duke Ellington
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Billie Holiday
, and others. The members were Cebar (acoustic guitar and vocals), Robin Pluer (vocals), Rip Tenor (sax), and Alan Anderson (bass). They were often joined by percussionist Guy Hoffman
.
After the Cadets disbanded in 1986 Cebar reconstituted the group, which then was made up of Cebar (guitar, vocals), Pluer (vocals), Juli Wood
(saxophone), Anderson (bass), Tenor (sax) and Randy Baugher (drums). The band explored African, Latin American and Caribbean sounds in a rhythm and blues context.
All of the original members other than Cebar have moved on. Some alumni are:
sax: Tony Jarvis, Greg Tardy (briefly), Paul Scher
guitar: Peter Roller, Rob Gjersoe, Terry Vittone
bass: Mike Kachou, Ethan Bender (briefly), Patrick Patterson
percussion: Michael Walls, Romero Beverly
, zydeco
, R&B and soul
styles.
The band continues to perform regularly, and tours the US.
radio in Milwaukee in the early 1980s. At the suggestion of another DJ there, he applied for, and received his own show, which he has hosted since 1985. The show runs Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. - noon. In the late 1980s, he also began hosting a show Sunday afternoons on WYMS
in Milwaukee, which ran until the station changed its format in 2002.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, who has a penchant for African
Music of Africa
Africa is a vast continent and its regions and nations have distinct musical traditions. The music of North Africa for the most part has a different history from sub-Saharan African music traditions....
, Latin American
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
and Caribbean music
Caribbean music
The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...
. He has released four albums and an EP with his band, Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans, which have received airplay from triple-A
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
stations across the US, one album with his current band Paul Cebar and Tomorrow Sound, and one solo album.
Early performing
Cebar began performing in coffeehouses on the local folk scene in the mid-1970s. His repertoire consisted in large part of rhythm and bluesRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and jump blues
Jump blues
Jump blues is an up-tempo blues usually played by small groups and featuring horns. It was very popular in the 1940s, and the movement was a precursor to the arrival of rhythm and blues and rock and roll...
songs, played solo on his guitar. He attended New College
New College of Florida
New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college located in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded originally as a private institution and is now an autonomous honors college of the State University System of Florida.-History:...
in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
. Afterwards, he played in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
while working with the R&B Cadets in Milwaukee.
The R&B Cadets
Throughout the early 1980s, Cebar was a member of a rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and R&B combo, The R&B Cadets, along with Jon Sieger, Mike Sieger, Robyn Pluer, Bob Jennings, Juli Wood
Juli Wood
Juli Wood is an accomplished saxophone player who appears regularly in Chicago and Milwaukee area jazz clubs, and sometimes on tours through the Midwest with the Juli Wood Quartet. Wood makes frequent appearances at Scandinavian jazz and blues festivals. She occasionally sets her saxophone aside...
and Bob Schneider. The band played Sieger's compositions, along with obscure songs from the mid-century that Cebar had unearthed.
The R&B Cadets released an album entitled Top Happy in 1986, and a 7-inch 33 1/3 entitled Get a Move On in 1981, including song titles Hook, Line, and Sinker, One Is Green, Headin' for the Poor House, and Down by the River.
During this period Paul and Claudia Schmidt
Claudia Schmidt
Claudia Schmidt is a musician, originally from New Baltimore, Michigan, who has recorded folk, jazz, blues, and spoken word albums. She plays guitar and Appalachian dulcimer and sings. She has appeared numerous times on the radio program, A Prairie Home Companion. She has recorded with Paul...
released a 7-inch 45 The Outskirts Of You b/w Baby, It's Cold Outside.
Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans
Parallel to his work with the R&B Cadets, Cebar had his own group, Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans. The group played many R&B, jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
,and bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
songs, by Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, and others. The members were Cebar (acoustic guitar and vocals), Robin Pluer (vocals), Rip Tenor (sax), and Alan Anderson (bass). They were often joined by percussionist Guy Hoffman
Guy Hoffman
Guy Hoffman is a drummer and vocalist, formerly of such bands as Oil Tasters, BoDeans, Violent Femmes and Absinthe. He is a composer for such films as Field Day and a founding member of Radio Romeo.-Life:...
.
After the Cadets disbanded in 1986 Cebar reconstituted the group, which then was made up of Cebar (guitar, vocals), Pluer (vocals), Juli Wood
Juli Wood
Juli Wood is an accomplished saxophone player who appears regularly in Chicago and Milwaukee area jazz clubs, and sometimes on tours through the Midwest with the Juli Wood Quartet. Wood makes frequent appearances at Scandinavian jazz and blues festivals. She occasionally sets her saxophone aside...
(saxophone), Anderson (bass), Tenor (sax) and Randy Baugher (drums). The band explored African, Latin American and Caribbean sounds in a rhythm and blues context.
All of the original members other than Cebar have moved on. Some alumni are:
sax: Tony Jarvis, Greg Tardy (briefly), Paul Scher
guitar: Peter Roller, Rob Gjersoe, Terry Vittone
bass: Mike Kachou, Ethan Bender (briefly), Patrick Patterson
percussion: Michael Walls, Romero Beverly
Paul Cebar & Tomorrow Sound
The current lineup includes former R&B Cadet Bob Jennings (sax, keyboards), Mike Fredrickson (bass), Reggie Bordeaux (drums), and McKinley "Mac" Perkins (percussion). While earlier incarnations of the band were more pop-oriented, more recently the band is heavily into African, Latin, Caribbean, reggaeReggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
, R&B and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
styles.
The band continues to perform regularly, and tours the US.
Discography
- That Unhinged Thing - 1993
- Upstroke for the Downfolk - 1995
- I Can't Dance for You (EP) - 1996
- The Get Go - 1997
- Suchamuch - 2001 (live album)
- Tomorrow Sound Now for Yes Music People - 2007
- One Little Light On - 2009 (solo album)
Radio
Cebar began guesting on local musician Steve Cohen's show on WMSEWMSE
WMSE is a non-commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, playing a wide-ranging eclectic music format run by volunteer DJ's. The station is part of the Milwaukee School of Engineering .-Early history of MSOE stations:...
radio in Milwaukee in the early 1980s. At the suggestion of another DJ there, he applied for, and received his own show, which he has hosted since 1985. The show runs Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. - noon. In the late 1980s, he also began hosting a show Sunday afternoons on WYMS
WYMS
WYMS is a non-commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, broadcasting on 88.9 FM. The station currently airs a younger-skewing eclectic adult album alternative music format, branded as "Radio Milwaukee". The station's license is owned by Milwaukee Public Schools, though it is managed and...
in Milwaukee, which ran until the station changed its format in 2002.