Jack West (8-string guitar/composer), duo with Lalo (vibraphone/composer), Curvature quartet with Joel Davel (marimba), David Phillips (pedal steel), and Peter Valsamis (drums).
Influences
Michael Hedges, Stevie Wonder, JoAnne Brackeen, Bobby McFerrin, Duane Allman, Leo Kottke, Dave Holland, Edgar Meyer.
Sounds Like
"...sounds like something never heard before...nothing short of astounding!" Oakland Tribune
"Stunning...Curvature's ensemble fuses bebop-inspired jazz, folk, and a jam band attitude into an irresistibly cool, intriguingly textured style. Around About Now's seven cuts groove hard, and West's playful, exploratory interplay with Phillips brings out the best in two uniquely gifted musicians." - Acoustic Guitar magazine.
"Jack West snaps & slides out mellow, woody jazz compositions that are both technically improbable and sonically impressive...his unorthodox approach always breathes deep with originality." - Creative Loafing magazine, Atlanta.
Brings to mind Ry Cooder, Bela Fleck, Michael Hedges, Dave Holland, Edgar Meyer, Ralph Towner.
Make no mistake, Jack West is on the path less taken. Its not only that he plays the eight-string acoustic guitar, a unique instrument that he had specially constructed while searching for the sounds he had been hearing in his mind. West is a musician dedicated to exploring uncharted territory, mapping stunning, minutely detailed soundscapes that feel uncannily familiar and yet completely fresh. This is heady music and there is a rigorous sense of structure to many of Wests tunes. But in the fine-grained textures he creates with his quartet, theres also an intuitive sense of interplay and generosity of spirit found in the finest jazz ensembles.
To help develop and perform his unusually curved musical ideas, West has focused since 1996 on his ever-evolving quartet Curvature. The recent Curvature alumni list is a whos who of SF Bay Area jazz and includes among others: drummer Scott Amendola (Charlie Hunter, etc), cellist Mark Summer (Turtle Island String Quartet), mandolinist Mike Marshall, the late saxophonist Calder Spanier (Charlie Hunter Quartet), bassist Jon Evans (Tori Amos), saxophonist George Brooks (Zakir Hussein's Rhythm Experience), violinist Jenny Scheinman, Joel Davel (Paul Dresher Ensemble) on marimba lumina, and pedal steel virtuoso David Phillips (Tom Waits, Charlie Hunter).
A prolific composer, West released his fifth album with Curvature, Around About Now, for the indie label Ahead Behind Music. His previous recordings have received national recognition for their exceptional quality as independently produced CD's. Curvatures 2001 release, Big Ideas, received rave reviews internationally. As We Know It was chosen over thousands of entries as winner of the Acoustic Guitar Magazine Self-Released CD Award for its "superb quality and originality."
West is currently collaborating and performing in a duo with vibraphonist/composer, Lalo. Lalo has created a new world of vibraphone-based music with fresh energy a modern edge. Both musicians are composers of fresh, original tunes ranging from moving ballads to rocking grooves. Check out the gig schedule and music clips for Jack West & Lalo Vibe.
"Astounding rhythmic dexterity and unorthodox percussive technique...unusual time signatures and odd rhythms...Jack West never has to worry about being mistaken for another guitarist" - San Jose Mercury News
All photos on Jack West's MySpace by Mitch Tobias.
Hi Jack West, we hope you will have a great christmas season - thank you for being a friend of the Jazz Pistols. We really appreciate your support.
Good luck for the things you do and have a great week. Best regards - Christoph
We would love to stay in touch with you - the best way is to sign up for our newsletter. If you would like to hear more tunes of the Jazz Pistols you can check out our homepage and get the Jazz Pistols CDs in our own shop - if you are living in the USA it will be cheaper to get them at CDBaby, Abstract Logix or at iTunes as digital download.
How's it going? Just listening to Big Ideas again as we get back into the studio for our 3rd release w/ Synergy. What a great tune. You teally come up w/ some trancendant grooves. Looking forward to the next project. Keep us posted, man.
Hola Jack, thanks for the request..enjoy listening to your tune...our tunes will be up before to long...we are working on recording them now...thanks again...take care...many blessings...Sabrina y Los Reyes
Thanks for your nice words. I'll look forward to a new album from you. Maybe a dvd?
Please check out some of my acoustic music at myspace.com/mufasaacoustic
Hi Jack West, just a quick hello from the Jazz Pistols - hope you are doing fine and can enjoy the last days of 2006. Wish you all the best for 2007 - thanks for being our friend and good luck for the things you do. Best regards - Christoph
Our Live-DVD will be released on the 1st of February 2007!
If you would like to hear more tunes of the Jazz Pistols you can check out our homepage and get the Jazz Pistols CDs in our own shop - if you are living in the USA it will be cheaper to get them at CDBaby, Abstract Logix or as digital download at iTunes. Please join our newsletter if you are interested in our tour schedule and upcoming releases.
