Emanuel Paul was an American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 tenor saxophonist.

Paul was one of the very first tenor saxophonists to hold regular work in New Orleans jazz

New Orleans Jazz

New Orleans Jazz may refer to:*Dixieland, a style of jazz music*New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park*Utah Jazz, a professional National Basketball Association franchise that was previously based in New Orleans and known as the New Orleans Jazz, in recognition of the jazz music of New Orleans*A...

, where his instrument often substituted for the baritone horn

Baritone horn

The baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...

 in a brass band

Brass band

A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...

. Paul did not begin playing music until late in his youth, picking up violin at age 18 and then switching to banjo

Banjo

In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...

 in the middle of the 1920s before settling on tenor sax. He became a member of the Eureka Brass Band

Eureka Brass Band

The Eureka Brass Band was a brass band from New Orleans, active from 1920 to 1975.The group was founded by trumpeter Willie Wilson, and its early members included clarinetists Willie Parker, John Casimir, and George Lewis...

 in 1940 and remained with them into the 1960s; he also played often with Kid Thomas Valentine

Kid Thomas Valentine

Thomas Valentine, commonly known as Kid Thomas was a jazz trumpeter and bandleader.Kid Thomas was born in Reserve, Louisiana and came to New Orleans in his youth. He gained a reputation as a hot trumpet man in the early 1920s. Starting in 1926 he led his own band, for decades based in the New...

 from 1942 and recorded with Oscar Celestin, Emanuel Sayles

Emanuel Sayles

Emanuel Sayles was an American jazz banjoist chiefly active in the New Orleans jazz scene.Sayles played violin and viola as a child, then taught himself banjo and guitar. He went to high school in Pensacola, Florida, then relocated to New Orleans and played with William Ridgely's Tuxedo Orchestra...

, and the Olympia Brass Band

Olympia Brass Band

The Olympia Brass Band is a New Orleans jazz brass band.The first "Olympia Brass Band" was active from the late 19th century to around World War I...

. He led two albums for a European label in 1967; his sidemen on these records include Valentine, George Lewis

George Lewis (clarinetist)

George Lewis was an American jazz clarinetist who achieved his greatest fame and influence in the later decades of his life.-Ancestry:...

, and Butch Thompson

Butch Thompson

Butch Thompson is an American jazz pianist and clarinetist best known for his ragtime and stride performances....

.