Album Notes

“Make Like a Prince” is the debut album of songwriter Paul James Frantz. The musical style harkens to the Great American Songbook era, with melodies inspired by the songs of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Harold Arlen. The lyrics draw on more contemporary topics, dealing with life and love in 21st-century San Francisco. The themes range from the timeless and universal, as in the lost-love ballad “Where’s Mister Sandman?” to the topical and political as in “If People Like Me Marry,” a song about gay marriage. Paul’s lyrics reveal a wry take on life reminiscent of Mose Allison or Dave Frishberg.

Most of the songs on the CD feature Paul's vocals, however Chavé Alexander performs "C'mon Santa" (track 5) and "Taking Charge of My Dream" (track 13). Shannon Koon joins Paul for a duet on "Slidin' Scale" (track 4). The singers are backed up by a jazz trio with Sean Bart on piano and keyboards, Josh Srago on bass and Taylor Still on percussion. Joining them are Annelise Zamula on tenor sax, soprano sax and flute, and Dave Miotke on accordion.

BIO

Born in New York City, Paul has lived in the San Francisco Bay area since 1973. After a 20-year exile from music performance while pursuing a Silicon Valley career, Paul returned to music starting in 1997, first by singing with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, then by getting back to the piano. In 2004 he began training as a solo vocalist and started writing songs. He has appeared in a number of shows in and around San Francisco. Paul is an ASCAP member. His music is published by Baker Beach Music.