Feature: Eight Days Of Jewish Artists In Cabaret And Concert - Day Two

Day Two

Paul Rolnick

The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Paul Rolnick is that he is such a gentleman. When you run into him in public, if you see him at a club, if you meet him on the street, he carries with him an air of compassion, an aura of goodwill, and, always, a welcoming expression on his friendly face. The music industry's Renaissance Man seems perpetually unflappable, always amiable, and definitely ready to Rock and Rolnick.

Paul is a singer, a songwriter, a record producer, a mixing engineer, and a mensch. He has taken home many trophies from various award organizations, most notable an Emmy and a CLIO, but what Paul takes home most of the time is decades of respect and adoration from artists who need a producer that will protect them. That producer is Paul Rolnick. Any and every artist who has worked with Paul could speak, at length, about the care that he takes when helping to craft their vision into a viable album. For Paul Rolnick it isn't about insinuating his artistic vision or opinions into a project, it is about taking the notes, the emails, the conversations, and listening, observing, considering all that the artist seeks to bring to the light, and then taking his point of view as a performer and melding it with his technique as a producer. The result of this scrupulous arranging of ideas, orchestrating of wishes, and developing of dreams is always a product of which the artist can be proud, and is proud. Paul Rolnick's clients always come back for their next album. Kevin Dozier has done three albums with Paul, Jamie deRoy has six Paul Rolnick albums, Karen Mason has seven, and the legendary Judy Collins has recorded eight. A track record like that speaks volumes about the kind of producer and man that Paul is. Do you know what else speaks about Paul's character? He can usually be seen in the audience at one of his client's shows. He is not just a producer dedicated to helping the artist's dream a reality, he becomes their friend and supporter, and the support of a friend is wildly important to the artists of the world because it can often feel cold and lonely up there in the spotlight. Looking out into the audience and seeing Paul Rolnick's calming smile of benevolence is sure to enhance any actor's time in the spotlight.

Then there is the matter of Paul's songwriting. The award-winner is responsible for a number of popular compositions that singers seek to perform, especially his marriage equality anthem "It's About Time," (co-written with Shelly Markham) which took home the highest prize a cabaret artist can get, as the Best Song of 2013. Speaking personally, this writer is particularly into Paul's composition "Jerusalem," which appears on the award-winning LET THE MUSIC PLAY album by Karen Mason, along with four other Paul Rolnick songs. There is nothing like being able to sing a new, an original song, and Paul Rolnick has been there to provide that experience for everyone from Roger Whittaker to Billy Stritch to, well, Paul Rolnick himself: Paul's latest solo album SHOOT FOR THE MOON was released in 2017 to acclaim, garnering praise from cabaret aficionado, journalist John Hoglund, proving that every ounce of integrity Paul brings to the work that he does in support of other artists comes with a stamp of approval based on his own artistry. The bottom line is that Paul Rolnick is one of the rocks of the industry - steadfast, stalwart, and always smiling. People want to work with Paul the producer, Paul the songwriter, Paul the engineer, Paul the person because he's the best, and, in the arts, surrounding yourself with the best is where it all starts.

Our Judaism-themed question with Paul Rolnick:

Ste: Paul, if bringing Judaism to your art, to your career, to your work model is something that you do, what does that look like?

Paul: I think most people born into the Jewish faith have an outsiders' lens that they use to see humanity and the human condition. Observing the world we live in and turning it into words and music that resonate... that is when I've done my best work as a songwriter.

Read the Broadway World Cabaret review of the Paul Rolnick-produced album Let The Music Play HERE.

Paul's online presence is as follows:

Website: Click HERE.

Facebook: Click HERE.

Paul's pronouns are He/Him/His

Paul's future projects include:

I'm currently working as record producer/mixer/songwriter on new album projects for Karen Mason, Ann Kittredge and Dawn Derow. I'm going to find time to finish a new album of my own. I'm doing ongoing Vocal Production for Judy Collins (who was just nominated for a Grammy), along with similar work for a number of legends. Also writing and producing songs that air on The Young & The Restless.

You can hear a few of my original Christmas songs in the next week at Urban Stages this Thursday, December 15th (Songwriters' Alliance - The Art of Collaboration) and at Birdland on Monday, December 19th at Karen Mason's Concert (ticket link HERE.)

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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