Welcome to Paul Vornhagen Jazz

Michigan Jazz.   Jazz saxophone, flute and vocals. If you like straight-ahead jazz standards, originals,
bebop, latin-cubano jazz, bossa-nova/samba and some vocal ballads, you will like my music!! I am talking about Monk, Ellington, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Mann, Wayne Shorter, to name a few.

 MEDIA QUOTES: "Gutsy sax....sensuous flute...and vocals, smooth as silk" --JAZZ TIMES  "Great tone on the soprano sax...top notch composer" --CADENCE "..his tenor sax is robust, yet warm with the heart of a romantic"---DETROIT JAZZ

I can perform SOLO w/recorded tracks,  DUO w/keyboard, TRIO adding the bass,  QUARTET adding drums or QUINTET adding a trumpet.  Jazz clubs, concerts, festivals, restaurants, private parties, weddings.....any event that requires music.   Never too loud or obtrusive.   Just the very finest professional presentation.  

 I am also performing with a Latin-Jazz group called TUMBAO BRAVO, that I formed in the fall of 2003 with co-leader and conga player, Alberto Nacif. We perform authentic cuban polyrthymns including mambos, cha chas, rhumba, boleros, danzon all based on the cuban montuno. Many of the songs are originals written by band members which also includes Wesley Reynoso on piano, Javier Barrios on timables, Pat Prouty on bass and Bob Mojica on trumpet. Our debut CD was released in July of 2004 called MONTUNO SALAD on PKO Records.


TUMBAO!  won the 2005 Detroit Music Award for OUTSTANDING JAZZ RECORDING !   We were also nominated for the 2006 Best Contemporary Jazz Group.  Checkout the website for schedule, sound bites, etc 

TUMBAO BRAVO has won the 2007 Detroit Music Award in the OUTSTANDING WORLD MUSIC CATEGORY for our 2nd CD,  Amigos: From Our Hands !

TUMBAO BRAVO'S  3rd CD, Un Systema Para Todo, was released this June 2008 featuring our new pianist, Wesley Reynoso and new bassist, Pat Prouty. Eleven original compositions !  received the Detroit Music Awards nomination in three categories for this CD in World Music and Jazz !

TUMBAO BRAVO'S 4th CD, "Casa Versailles"  was released June 2012.  This recording features our newest member, Pepe Espinosa, on bongos, quinto and percussion, formerly with the AFRO CUBAN ALL-STARS & CUBANISMO from Cuba.  In July, the Cd was featured on the award winning syndicated radio show, JAZZ AFTER HOURS w/JIM WILKE and was #1 for airplay on WEMU-FM. 

You can listen and purchase these Cds at www.tumbaobravo.com  or simply contact me at pvornhagen@aol.com

PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS:

I have been teaching private music lessons for over 30 years.  Presently I am on staff at the Ann Arbor Music Center and the Northville Center for Music.  I am presently accepting students at my home in Ann Arbor on saxophone, flute, clarinet and piano/keyboard for all age groups, levels and styles.  Many of my students are in band programs at middle to high school level--I can offer tutoring for symphonic, jazz and concert band music.  I am happy to work with anyone who is interested in expanding and improving their music skills.