Paul Gonzales is our trumpet player extrodinare. Paul Gonzales began his professional career in 1984 as the Jazz trumpet soloist with the Army Band of New England. For the last 30 years he has led his own jazz groups and has performed with Doug Lawrence, George Cables, Louis Hayes, Greg Abate, the Buddy Rich Alumni Band led by Bobby Shew, and the Cab Calloway Orchestra. Paul is a member of the Albuquerque based bands Son Como Son, Calle 66, Baracutanga, and Entourage Jazz.
He has also been busy on the Salsa scene working with Pete Escovedo, Carlos “Patato” Valdes, Jesus Diaz, Frankie Vazquez, Marc Quinones, Marlow Rosado, and Calixto Oviedo, and Frankie Morales. In the Pop world he has backed up The Platters, The Four Tops, The O’Jays, and Bobby Vinton. Paul appears on Ottmar Liebert’s platinum selling album Little Wing. He is the arranger for the New Mexico Jazz Latino Orchestra led by Doug Lawrence of the Count Basie Orchestra.
He was trumpet professor at Northern New Mexico College and taught adult & youth jazz combo classes at the Outpost Performance Space as well as trumpet/jazz improvisation workshops at the New Mexico Jazz Workshop and various schools around New Mexico and Colorado. He also teaches private trumpet lessons. Paul hosted a jazz radio show on KUNM-FM for 13 years.