Join us on Sunday, February 16, 2025, for Main Stage Session 5 starting at 7:00pm with the Paul Carr Quartet and special guest Billy Pierce.

This concert with the Paul Carr Quartet features special guest Billy Pierce, performing an unforgettable musical tribute to the late Benny Golson.  Saxophonist, Benny Golson, a monumental figure in jazz who passed away on September 21, 2024, at age 95, left an indelible mark on the world of music. 

The Main Stage ticketing is divided into Sessions. Each Session is comprised of three power-hitting Acts. Seating is divided into groups which include Premium 4-seater tables, General 6-seater tables and then General theater seating.  ALL GENERAL SEATING TABLES ARE RESERVED FOR VOYAGER PASSPORT HOLDERS, so please purchase your all-access Voyager Passport in advance. You can pick up your Voyager Passports at the Box Office after 3pm on the first day of the festival. All proceeds from the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival directly support efforts of the Jazz Academy of Music.

About Paul Carr:

Houston native, Paul Carr, known as the Real Jazz Whisperer, is a saxophonist, educator, and curator.

He has been recognized by:

• ABC Channel 7 News as a Harris Hero in 2012,
• Howard University, his alma-mater, as a Benny Golson Jazz Master in 2014,
• Montgomery County Maryland as teacher of year in 2015 and,
• The Jazz Journalist Association as a Jazz Hero in 2019,
• The Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation with the DC Jazz Leaders in Service Award in 2023, and
• Howard University as a Blue Flame awardee and served as the Keynote Commencement Speaker for Howard University Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts in 2024.

Saxophonist

Paul has released 10 recordings, many of which reached the top 10 ranking on the Jazz Week chart.  His most recent recording is Paul Carr Legacy Quartet, featuring the great Bassist Buster Williams, pianist Bruce Barth, and renown drummer Lewis Nash.

Paul Carr has performed worldwide including South America, Europe, and the Middle East.  He had the great honor of performing at many of President Clintons’ private events and for the late King Hussein and Queen Noir of Jordan at their residence in Aqaba, Jordan.

He leads five band configurations: the Paul Carr Quartet that showcases Paul’s traditional jazz recordings; Paul Carr Legacy Quartet,  featuring renown musicians that he admires; Paul Carr Collective, wherein Paul collaborates with various musicians to present member originals and covers arranged by the members; Carr-Keys, a collaboration with Paul Carr and Marshall Keys which melds traditional and contemporary jazz styles designed to expand audience appreciation for both styles; and finally the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Orchestra which celebrates the big band.

Curator

Paul established the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival (MAJF) in 2010 serving as its Executive and Artistic Director. The MAJF showcases national and regional talent and includes a huge jazz education component. The awe-inspiring Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival is held every President’s Day weekend in Rockville, Maryland where over 3,000 attendees travel from across the nation.  Paul also serves as consultant/advisor to the DC Jazz Festival, Silver Spring Jazz Festival and True-Blue Jazz Festival.

Educator

As founder of the Paul Carr Jazz Academy of Music, Paul has been a distinguished educator for children and young adults; many of whom have been admitted to and attend prestigious institutions such as Howard University, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, and Berklee College of Music.  Several of Paul’s private students are stars on the jazz scene today including Braxton Cook, Peter and William Anderson and Jason Marshall, to name a few. Paul also mentored trumpeter and Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University, Terell Stafford and alto saxophonist Bruce Williams. Paul served as Professor and Jazz Band Director at Gettysburg College until 2021.  He frequently serves as guest conductor and clinician at high school jazz band festivals in the Mid-Atlantic region from Virginia to Pennsylvania. He served as a panelist at the Congressional Black Caucus where he spoke on the importance of jazz education and advocated for a Bill that was circulating in Congress to offer federal support toward the advancement and preservation of traditional Jazz.

Paul is currently writing a book to codify his teaching techniques, “The Theoryless Approach to Jazz Improvisation”.  He presented the techniques and philosophies contained in the book at the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference in San Diego to a standing room only crowd and was subsequently asked to present to the students at Michigan State University.