An excellent article by Joy Jenkins feature Josh Raymer and Paul Benjaman!
IT ALL STARTED a year and a half ago with a casual conversation on a front porch.
Paul Benjaman, a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, and Josh Raymer, a drummer with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, were chatting with other local performers about a current movement in the Tulsa music scene. Made up primarily of jazz musicians, the group was seeing a resurgence of the “Tulsa Sound” that permeated the city in the 1970s, with the likes of Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and J.J. Cale recording in local studios. Benjaman and Raymer say this focus on world-class, orginal music was emerging again in Tulsa, and they wanted to create an organization to help it thrive. Thus, Organum Records was born.
The name may sound like an indie record label, but Benjaman sas the group is actually a collective of like-minded artists who enjoy performing together and want to make more people aware of their talent. “So we just decided to give a name to it - to promote our music, to inspire each other and to continue to create and also serve as a gateway so people could meet and see whate we’re doing.” he says.
Organum initially began as a MySpace site with links to 10 local artists. That gave way to Wednesday night jam sessions, during which any Organum artist who is free can show up at Capella’s at 10pm to perform. The Musicians the hosted an Organum showcase OCt. #, which included performances from seven bands in a variety of genres. In addition to encouraging creativity, Organum also is helping to promote all-ages shows in Tulsa, which Benjaman says have dried up over the last few years. “So instead of taking a political stance, we’re offering a gateway.” he says.
The musicians hope Organum also might be a gateway to booking more performances and tours and increasing exposure. Raymer says there also have been talks of a compilation CD and tour. Mostly , though, the musicians want to establish that with the Organum name comes quality music.
“We have this Organum name that automatically when people see it, they trust that and know it’s going to be good.” Raymer says.
EDITOR’s NOTE: For a list of upcoming Organum artist performances, visit www.myspace.com/organumrecords
January, 2009
