These Ears And Eyes (1999, 2024)
The Debut Album by Paul Kahn, first released in 1999, re-released via Mighty Quinn Records in 2024
Stuart J. Rosenberg, the Chicago based musician, producer, radio host, and promoter, who passed away on May 7, 2024, at age 68, was one of Paul’s deepest collaborators and most enduring musical pals. Paul befriended Stuart while booking artists in the 1990s, when Stuart produced concerts.
In 1998, Stuart produced demos of some of Paul’s original songs, with a band that included the cream of Chicago area musicans. The sessions led to the 1999 release of the album, Paul Kahn: These Ears And Eyes. The release coincided with the 20th anniversary of Concerted Efforts, the boutique music booking agency founded and helmed by Paul Kahn. The album intrigued the music world, leading to features and glowing reviews in international outlets, including fRoots (England), The Jerusalem Post (Israel), The Boston Globe, and the music business weekly Pollstar Magazine. “His rootsy, old-time, mostly acoustic, swing-based string band arrangements, his deadpan vocals and his delight in word-play lend the effort a vaudevillian feel,” wrote Seth Rogovoy for Berkshire Eagle.
In 2024, Mighty Quinn Records lent new life to These Ears And Eyes, re-releasing the album across all digital platforms, 25 years since its inception. In bringing new meaning to the proverb, good things come to those who wait, Mighty Quinn Records label head Jerry Roche explained, “you hear an artist who loves music. The joy is infectious from the first song to the last.”
Album Reviews
“The sound is string band whimsy, and the droll, conversational songs amble along … echoes of Dave Frishberg and Mose Allison.”
- Daniel Gewertz, The Boston Herald
“...guitar-based folk music which tells stories with wit and wisdom, style and understatement…refreshing songs…”
- David Brinn, The Jerusalem Post (Israel)
“Nice atmosphere…on These Ears and Eyes he shows a style that can be both whimsical and serious, his songs imbued with a very strong sense of place.”
- Chris Nickson, Roots Magazine (UK)
“...he focuses on themes of lost love and youthful memories, his casual delivery adds to the informality of the album
- Craig Harris, The Boston Globe
“...a delightful sense of naivete and droll insouciance. His rootsy, old-time, mostly acoustic, swing-based string band arrangements, his deadpan vocals and his delight in word-play lend the effort a vaudevillian feel.”
- Seth Rogovoy, Berkshire Eagle
“...Kahn opens the mind AND heart effectively…many of these well crafted songs will be covered by better known singers.”
- Greg Allen, Soundations
“November is a jazzy, sentimental song of lost love with the feel of a Cole Porter standard.”
- Journal News (Hamilton, Ontario)
“Well written, wistful, and magical”
- Kate McGarrigle (noted songwriter, McGarrigle Sisters)
“Paul Kahn’s band is top-notch and his songs convey effective imagery, humor, and emotions…”
- Top Hylop, Blue Revue
“Paul Kahn could have walked off a traveling minstrel show into a modern studio. These Ears and Eyes is all-original material in the finest Americana traditions of country-blues, ragtime, and folk.”
- Tom Schulte, All Music Guide