Great American Songbook standards featuring music by composers Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jimmy Van Heusen, Jerome Kern, Rodgers & Hart and more.

Paula is currently focused on a Jazz as her primary genre. The featured video is of a solo performance at Brentwood Social House in August 2023. It features the Bossa-nova tune "How'd You Get In My Dreams" by Ike Eichenberg.

PRESS
"[Paula] adds new ideas to the jazz-related work of now famous female artists like Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Madeleine Peyroux. Her songs are beautiful, the melody lines fine, her voice is flexible and sultry, [and] the accompaniment is excellent ..." - Fred Schmale, Real Roots Cafe, Netherlands

BIO
Paula is an Austin-based performing songwriter with a penchant for melody, storytelling and poetic lyricism. Raised in New England and Spain, her music is informed by a variety of influences from classical music to popular Jazz, Folk, Rock and Blues. She's won songwriting kudos from internationally known songwriting clubs like the Kerrville Folk Festival, Wildflower Festival and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (double finalist). She’s performed in these hallowed listening rooms: Cactus Cafe, Momo's Club, Saxon Pub, Blue Bird Cafe, Anderson Fair, Bugle Boy, Eddie's Attic, Egan's Ballard Jam and more. Paula's music is described as lyrically rich, melodic and sensual, and her voice is cited as reminiscent of Norah Jones and Diana Krall. She's collaborated with and performed as a duo with sidemen Andrew Hardin, Monte Mann, Paul Haake, and Steve Brooks.

PAST PROJECTS (2011 - 2020)
Solo Acoustic | Pop-jazz influenced original music with a twist of Folk/Americana
Held and Mann | Acoustic Duo | Jazz standards, Americana, Country, Pop
Paula Held Trio / Quintet | Standards & Bossa featuring Great American Songbook Standards

CURRENT PROJECTS (2021 to present)
Paula Held - Solo Vocal Jazz performances featuring Great American Songbook music & original music
Paula Held Trio - Ensemble (duo, trio, quartet) Vocal Jazz featuring Great American Songbook music

PAST RESIDENCIES:
Held and Mann | Linda's Fine Foods, Wimberley, TX 2011 - 2020
Paula Held Trio / Quintet - Opal Divine's | Austin, TX 2018 - 2020

CURRENT RESIDENCIES:
Paula Held | Brentwood Social House, Austin, TX 2023 - current

PAST JAZZ PERSONNEL:
Upright Bass: Jon Blondell, Chris Jones, Chris Maresh, Tarik Hassan
Percussion: Mike Gordon, Daniel Dufour, Bart Madeley
Guitar: Tommy Howard, Glenn Rexach, Monte Mann
Sax: Tomas Ramirez, Jessica Mortensen, Michael Malone

RECORDINGS:
DRIVE (2010)
Produced and engineered by Stephen Doster at EAR Studio Austin 2010