Paul Steinbeck

Paul Steinbeck is an assistant professor of music theory at Washington University in St. Louis. His book Message to Our Folks (2017, University of Chicago Press) is the first history of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the first in-depth study of the group’s music. With Fred Anderson, he is co-author of Exercises for the Creative Musician (2010), a method book for improvisers. Steinbeck is also a bassist, improviser, composer, and recording artist.

Posts by Paul Steinbeck

Page by Page: Book Reviews

Bass Hits

To readers who are encountering the bassist for the first time, Conversations offers colorful (re)tellings of Haden stories that are now part of jazz’s folklore.

Page by Page: Book Reviews

The Long-Suffering Soul Singer

Dreams to Remember is not without its redeeming features. Redding fans may appreciate Ribowsky’s enthusiasm for his subject, and the book is less inflammatory than a 2001 Redding biography so sensational it sparked a libel suit. Readers looking for new insights about Redding and 1960s soul music, however, should leave it on the shelf.