Paul Tingen is a guitarist, composer, music producer, author, journalist and a father. As a guitarist he draws his inspiration from a variety of sources: folk, rock, ambient, jazz, classical music, flamenco. Christened 'Zen' guitarist by the London listings magazine Time Out, his unique acoustic guitar style has been acclaimed by John McLaughlin, Scotland’s premier jazz guitarist Martin Taylor, singer David Sylvian, ex-Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, solo artist and renowned music producer Michael Brook, and many others.

Michael Brook was involved in Paul's debut album May The Road Rise To Meet You released early 1997. It also features nature sounds, violins and Vietnamese singing. The latter reflects some of the album’s inspiration, which was drawn from the teachings of the Vietnamese Zen-Buddhist writer, poet, peace activist and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, who was nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. In 1997, Tingen ordained as a member of Thich Nhat Hanh's Order Of Interbeing. He has since been conducting meditation classes and groups in London, Scotland, France, the US, and at the Pillion Centaur Center in Greece.

Despite his 'Zen guitarist' tag, and obvious influences from both ambient music and meditation practice, Tingen's music bears little resemblance to what's called New Age music. His tight musical structures, adventurous harmonies, and arresting playing style see to that. His forthcoming second solo album, Metamorphosis, retains the melodic richness of The Road, but is yet more adventurous, verging on the avant-garde.

The guitarist has performed at the South Bank in London during Spring 1997, both as a solo artist and as a member of the band of renowned French ambient/avant-garde composer Hector Zazou, has supported eminent guitarist Martin Simpson on some of the dates of his 1996 UK tour, performed at the Portmahomack music festival in Scotland in 2002, and has played various other support and headlining concerts in folk clubs, art centres and concert halls around the UK, and, more recently, France.

Tingen studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, 1985-6, and completed a music degree at Goldsmiths’ College in London in 1995. Apart from being a guitarist and composer he has worked professionally as a music journalist for more than a decade, writing artist interviews, web sites, background reports, and pieces about the creative use of music technology and recording studios for various music and music industry trade magazines in the UK, USA, Netherlands and Japan.

Tingen's widely acclaimed book on the electric music of Miles Davis, called Miles Beyond, The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991, was published by Billboard Books in May 2001. He currently also writes for magazines such as Sound on Sound, JazzWise (UK); Keyboards, Production Partner, Jazzthetic (Germany); Keyboard, Sound & Recording (Japan); Audio Technology (Australia); JazzTimes, Mix, Electronic Musician, (USA); and Pro Audio Vision (Netherlands).

During the beginning of 2002, Tingen produced two recording projects for the American/Dutch composer and writer Gary Goldschneider. Recorded at the National Radio Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, these projects featured the Balkan Symphony Orchestra, conductor Conrad van Alphen, and Goldschneider on piano.

Also in 2002, and again in 2005, Tingen became a father, and since then much of his time has been taken up with raising his two sons. He continues to write for various music magazines and play guitar, doing the occasional live performance, and biding his time until he has the space to record Metamorphosis. Tingen currently divides his time between the UK and the south of France.

Tingen has discovered a new approach to music in general, and the guitar in particular. I am very impressed with the lucidity with which Tingen is able to communicate his concepts. Through a seemingly simple manner, and with only an acoustic guitar, Tingen is able to reveal new dimensions in music."- John McLaughlin, guitarist and composer.

"May The Road Rise To Meet You uplifts with its qualities of stillness, acceptance, peace and celebration." - David Sylvian.

"A good composition should be like beautiful architecture: you walk through it and keep discovering new things. May The Road Rise To Meet You is like that. As the album goes on, new doors keep opening." - Hector Zazou, French composer who worked with Björk, David Sylvian, John Cale, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Harold Budd.

 "Paul Tingen really makes his guitar speak" - Michael Church, The Scotsman.

© 2000-08 Paul Tingen. All rights reserved.