Newspaper: Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Publication Date: Monday, October 3, 2011

Page No.: 5

Headline: CD Showcases Cohen’s Unusual Musical Talents

Byline: By MARK B. HAEFELE, Staff Writer

Body: There seem to be enough celebrated rock drummer vocalists around—think Levon Helm, formerly of The Band; Don Henley, formerly of the Eagles; and every now and then, Ringo Star, formerly of the Beatles. But jazz drummer vocalists are relatively scarce—the only well known one who comes to mind is Bing Crosby.

Paul Cohen is a very experienced jazz drummer and a good one. And now he’s taken it upon himself not just to sing, but to record a CD of a dozen ballads—mostly lesser known, but nearly all of them very good. And to show off a voice previously unheard, at least outside the courtroom. What kind of voice is it? A bit high pitched, somewhere between that of Mose Allison and Chet Baker, let’s say.  He uses it quite well, generally speaking, and even flaunts a nice crooner vibrato on his take of “Laura.”  There’s plenty of musicianship here, if not yet the showmanship you’d hear from a truly experienced club performer.

But Cohen will deal with that oversight in his live debut Oct. 8 at the Hollywood Studio Bar and Grill. The kid shows a lot of promise, and hey, he’s only 73. And he’s already made it from Sole Practitioner to Soul Practitioner.