Locally Speaking: A Spotlight on Paul Carr

Locally Speaking is a monthly column highlighting D.C.’s music, Black culture and diverse members of the community. 

Rev. Dr. Sandra Butler-Truesdale has been a good friend of mine for a couple years. Our visits typically turn into hours-long conversations about her time on the road with James Brown and Ray Charles, what D.C. neighborhoods used to be, the history of musicians and what it was like to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak in the summer of 1963.

At 83 years old, she is a deep well of wisdom. Her stories span decades; she appears to have lived many lives, some of which existed during times of adversity. It only made sense for us to collaborate on a column where she lifts up diverse members of the Black community in D.C. and their stories. This is one of those stories, and one of those people in her words.

Paul Carr, a Houston native and 1985 Howard University graduate, has dedicated his professional career to jazz performance, education and presentation. Known for his hard-charging and soulful post-bop style, Carr has flexed his sound by recording eight records, which have all lived on the top jazz charts consecutively. 

In 2002, he founded the Jazz Academy of Music, which hosts summer camps and jazz ensembles for kids throughout the year. Many of his students have excelled to be accepted to the top music schools and conservatories in the country, such as the prestigious Juliard School of Music. Today, many former pupils are touring and performing all over the world, sharing the stage with some of the best names in Jazz.

“I started this journey teaching when my saxophone teacher at Texas Southern University, Laura Hunter, asked me to teach about 35 of her middle school private students,” Carr says. “You know, right from the beginning, I dug it. I really dug it. Teaching has never been something I dreaded. I have always thought it was my way of fixing what I thought was wrong in music, and jazz in particular.”

In 2010, Paul founded the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival and serves as its executive and artistic director. The festival is held every President’s Day weekend in Rockville. The well-attended festival incorporates a strong educational component with performances by NEA Jazz Masters such as Ellis Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Roy Haynes, Kurt Ellington and many others players in the jazz community.

Carr has performed numerous times at the White House, for Presidents Clinton and Bush, as well as the late King Hussein of Jordan. He has toured South America, Central America, Europe and the Middle East. As a performer, Carr has shared the stage with artists such as flutist Kent Jordan; saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Kirk Whalum and Steve Wilson; and trumpeters Terrell Stafford and Wynton Marsalis.

To keep up with Paul Carr, you can find him on Instagram @paulcarrjazz. Listen to his music on Spotify.

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Brandt Ricca and Rev. Dr. Sandra Butler-Truesdale