For those unaware, the contemporary American jazz composer Gregg Hill turned 80 in November of 2025. For the past 20 years, he made real the dream of documenting his myriad jazz compositions — not only in folio form but in fully realized recordings by a fascinating variety of musicians.

The Lansing, Michigan-based Hill places a high value on these shared collaborations and trusts his fellow artists with full creative input. To Gregg Hill, musical development has become a process of true co-composition. Just witness the case of bassist and bandleader Paul Keller who spent nearly five years expanding Hill’s compositions—captured here—with his visionary musical mind and contagious “jazz” de vivre.

Next year, the Paul Keller Orchestra celebrates 40 years working together. A notable feat for most marriages, genuinely remarkable for a musical ensemble. These top-of-the-line jazz musicians still play weekly in Ann Arbor — at Zal Gaz Grotto Club—and are more than up to the task of swinging this original music into immortality.

Keller’s affinity for the rhythmic, intricate, joyous, communicative music of Nat King Cole, Ahmad Jamal, and Oscar Peterson informs his arrangements and orchestrations of Gregg Hill’s multi-part compositions, and The Paul Keller Orchestra turns in an unforgettable performance.

By drawing from all corners of jazz, Keller combines these germinative ideas into one of the most expertly developed recordings of Gregg Hill’s music available. Period. And as for Paul’s ability on the bass? In a state ripe with international stars on the instrument, Paul starts with truly masterful technique and swings from there.

1. Bopportunity [5:42]
2. Dollah Hollah [4:48]
3. Thank You Notes [6:23]
4. Pop Tune [6:10]
5. Cadillac Club [5:36]
6. The Speckled Frog [7:40]
7. Summer Nights [7:02]
8. Jer’s Latin Tune [5:57]
9. La Playa [6:36]
10. Sister Sue [5:03]

On an album that lovingly showcases various types of music with rhythmical capabilities that explore and reveal accordingly, they open their new recording on the fun and joyous notes of Bopportunity and the slightly more sterner fare of Dollah Hollah and then we get the deliciously low slung swing of Thank You Notes and the infectiously-grooved Pop Tune, before the buoyant Cadillac Club is brought forth.

Along next is the lavishly luxuriant The Speckled Frog which is itself neatly followed by the cinematically-scored Summer Nights, the flirtatiously emotive Jer’s Latin Tune, the set rounding out on the emphatically-charged La Playa, coming to a close on the mid-tempo roustabout of Sister Sue.

PLAYERS, INSTRUMENTS:
Paul Keller - String Bass and Band Leader; Adam Mosley, Piano; Pete Siers, Drum Set; Cary Kocher, Vibraphone and Bongos; Sarah D’Angelo, Vocals and Clarinet; Keith Kaminski, Alto Sax and Soprano Sax; James Hughes, Alto Sax; Steve Wood, Tenor Sax; Chris Tabaczynski, Tenor Sax; Mark Kieme, Baritone Sax; Mike Williams, Trumpet; Paul Finkbeiner, Trumpet; Joe Palmer, Trumpet; Lucas Stickley-Miner, Trumpet; Chris Smith, Trombone; Terry Kimura, Trombone; Willie Wang, Trombone; Chris Glassman, Trombone; Sarah D’Angelo, Original lyrics and vocals (1,4,7)

The Paul Keller Orchestra - Thank You Notes Album (Official Video)

www.paulkellerjazz.com

www.gregghilljazz.com