Paula Atherton

Saxophonist and singer Paula Atherton makes soulful, groove-oriented contemporary jazz with blues, Latin, and R&B flourishes. She emerged in the New York area in the early 2000s and has shared the stage with such luminaries as Gerald Albright, the Rippingtons, Hiroshima, and many others. Working closely with guitarist/producer Nick Colionne, she has issued a number of Top 20 Billboard Smooth Jazz songs, including "Sassy Strut" off 2013's Enjoy the Ride and "My Song for You" from 2018's Shake It. Born and raised in New York, Atherton started out studying voice and flute at the age of nine and picked up the saxophone during high school. It was also while in her teens that she developed an interest in jazz listening to artists like Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Cannonball Adderley, and David Sanborn. After high school, she studied privately with several notable jazz artists including Lee Konitz and Bob Mintzer. She began playing around the New York City area, as well as leading the house band for the Lifetime cable comedy show Girls' Night Out. As a solo performer, she debuted with 2001's Let Me Inside Your Love. She followed up with 2009's Groove with Me, which featured collaborations with guitarist Chieli Minucci, trumpeter Greg Adams, and pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs. In 2013, Atherton released her third studio effort, Enjoy the Ride, which spawned two Billboard-charting singles with "Sassy Strut" and the Herbie Mann-inspired "Herbie." Ear Candy arrived two years later and featured guest appearances by guitarist Nick Colionne, trumpeter Cindy Bradley, and keyboardist Gail Jhonson. Included on the album was the song "Between You & Me." In 2017, she appeared on Bradley's number two Billboard Smooth Jazz Song "Girl Talk." A year later, Atherton released Shake It, which again featured a bevy of guests, including Bradley and Colionne, Rippingtons keyboardist Bill Heller, and others. The album's lead promotional track, the Colionne-produced "My Song for You," reached number 15 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. ~ Matt Collar