In Session 1 of The Jamcast with guitar great and musical maestro Paul Pesco, Ken and Paul cover his musical beginnings and his family's musical roots. They focus on how his father, who is a music teacher and an Opera singer, was a big influence on him as a musician. The conversation turns to other influences and the life experiences that shaped much of who he is as an artist today. Paul admits that so much of the Motown and Funk sounds of the 70's made a big impression, and that players like Jimmy Nolen (James Brown's guitar player) became a model to draw from early on in his career. Paul also covers his approach to session work and how he's been blessed to work with so many great artists.   

 

About: Paul's credit list reads like a "who's who" of the entertainment industry. When Paul moved to New York City, "I learned about this place, Studio Instrument Rentals, where many of the top artists would rehearse. I got a job there as a rehearsal tech, setting up equipment for bands like Aerosmith, Kiss, and Foreigner. SIR would often be the place where bands would hold auditions. One day, a French artist, Patrick Hernandez, was auditioning background singers for tour. I think about 300 singers came through that day. I met one of the singers that got the gig. She said her name was Madonna. Little did I know, in the not so distant future, I would be auditioning for her. What's so cool about this is, not only did I get the gig playing guitar in her band. I also played on the demos that ultimately landed her record deal with Sire Records." He ended up playing guitar on the songs, "Lucky Star" and "Burning Up" for her first album. And played on the subsequent "Virgin Tour" and her famous "Live Aid" performance. Paul went on to record and tour with Annie Lennox, Steve Winwood, Chaka Kahn, Hall and Oates, The System, Jeff Lorber, Whitney Houston, George Benson, Joan Baez, Al Green, C&C Music Factory, Celine Dion, Herb Alpert, Mary J.Blige, Bob James and Earl Klugh,KC & Jojo, J-Lo, the list goes on... "I feel very fortunate to have worked with so many successful artists. I try, every time I go into the studio or on stage, to contribute something of myself. Not so much as to put my stamp on things, but to bring something that will compliment the song. Maybe even add an additional hook or ear candy. Hopefully, I have accomplished that in some way." In '92, the group, U2, requested Paul's presence to help arrange and sequence their "Zoo TV" tour. In '93, Paul played on Madonna's "Erotica" album and joined "The Girlie Show" world tour. In '95, Paul joined Hall and Oates for their "Marigold Sky" album, and wound up recording and touring with the group for the next five years. " In 2000, Paul co-wrote and played on H&O's hit album "Do It For Love". The title track from this cd spent several weeks at number one on the Billboard New AC Chart... More recently, Paul was musical director for J-Lo for her "Saturday Night Live", "Women's World Cup" performances and her "NBC Concert Special from Puerto Rico". He played guitar on the hit song "Play". "Working with Anders Bagge was a lot of fun. The session went fairly quickly. The song has a strong funk groove. I just started playing the first thing that came to my head. And he loved it. One of the best things about doing this sort of work is when you get to hear it on the radio or in a movie." Paul was also the MD for one of Jessica Simpson's first performances on television, "The Oprah Show."  In 2001, Paul engineered and produced Lauryn Hill's XM Radio Live Performance recording from the CES convention in Las Vegas. Paul has also performed on "American Idol" playing guitar with Tamira Gray.  You may have heard Paul playing on: 1. The original"Cotton"TV ad with Richie Havens(Cleo winner) 2. The original "Hot Pockets" TV ad 3. The Fox NFL theme 4. An Evening at the Improv...theme writer/producer 5. C&C Music Factory..."Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)","Things That Make You Go Hmm"... Paul has also contributed to the music of film; 1. Beat Street, guitar/ actor 2.Wild Orchid. music production/composer, 3. Roxanne music production/composer, 4. Fried Green Tomatoes guitar 5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer guitar/ Celebrity Extra Vampire 6. Coming To America guitar 7. Encino Man guitar/keyboards 8. The Secret Of My Success guitar 9. Robots guitar 10.Be Cool guitar 11.The Canary Effect Documentary, Composer/Sound Designer (2006 Tribeca Film Festival) 12. "Banished"The Lost Boys Of Polygamy Documentary, Composer 13.Happy Feet,Guitar For a more comprehensive credit list go to allmusic.com or imdb.com... The four songs in the player above are from Paul's forthcoming solo album "Lucky 13" All songs written and produced by Paul Pesco and Harold Road... this is Paul's second solo album, his first album,"Make It Reality" was released in '88 on Sire Records. Also, look out for the new band called"SUPERHIT".