Paul Winter Consort

Paul Winter Consort
The Paul Winter Consort outside the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Manhattan, after Earth Mass 2005
Background information
Genres	New-age, chamber jazz, folk jazz, ethno jazz, world fusion
Years active	1967–present
Labels	A&M, Epic, Living Music
Associated acts	Oregon
Website	www.livingmusic.com
Members	Paul Winter Eugene Friesen Don Grusin Jamey Haddad Satoshi Takeishi Eliot Wadopian Glen Velez Paul McCandless Cafe Da Silva
Past members	Ralph Towner David Darling Richard Bock Guilherme Franco Jim Scott Glen Moore Russ Landau Paul Halley Collin Walcott Rhonda Larson Oscar Castro-Neves Herb Bushler Nancy Rumbel Gordon Johnson Ted Moore Susan Osborn Jim Saporito Karl Herreshoff Gene Murrow Virgil Scott Ruth Ben-Zvi Gene Bertoncini John Beal Steve Booker Paul Sullivan

The Paul Winter Consort is an American musical group, led by soprano saxophonist Paul Winter. Founded in 1967, the group mixes elements of jazz, classical music, world music, and the sounds of animals and nature. They are often classified as "new age" or "ecological jazz", and their musical style is often called "Earth Music". The group has had many lineup changes since it was founded. Long-standing members currently in the group include Paul Winter, cellist Eugene Friesen, bassist Eliot Wadiopan, jazz oboist Paul McCandless, and percussionist and frame drum specialist Glen Velez. Past members who were part of the group for a considerable length of time include Paul Halley, Susan Osborn, Oscar Castro-Neves, Russ Landau, David Darling, Jim Scott and Rhonda Larson.

The Paul Winter Consort was founded in 1967 by Paul Winter, who had already begun a promising career as a jazz saxophonist in the early sixties. After hearing the songs of humpback whales, he was inspired to create a new form of music which would bring together elements of music from around the world as well as animal songs, thus creating an “orchestra of the entire world”. This artistic message was in line with Winter's growing interest in environmentalism, animal rights, and pacifism. Winter got the name “consort” from musical groups of the middle ages and the Renaissance which combined the sounds of wind instruments, string instruments, and percussion – the same instruments Winter was interested in using.