New West

Bio:

Featuring three young guitar virtuosos, New West has been making their mark as the premier acoustic/electric guitar ensemble. Based in Los Angeles, their original music combines the foundation of jazz with elements of blues, rock and folk.

Guitarists John Storie, Perry Smith and Brady Cohan established New West when they were all students at the University of Southern California. As music majors, New West collaborated with USC to become the first group to receive the coveted Thornton Protégé Grant. It was during this time that the Los Angeles Sister Cities Committee honored the group as musical ambassadors of LA. This honor gave them the chance to perform at the 2005 World Exposition in Nagoya, Japan and the 2007 German-American Volksfest in Berlin, Germany. The group has continued to perform in major venues throughout Canada, Japan, Europe, and the United States. In August 2009 New West performed at the Britt Festival in Southern Oregon as the opening act for Diana Krall.

Recently, New West has collaborated with Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato and world-class acoustic guitar luthier Jeff Traugott to produce their third album, "Sleeping Lady." Over the years, they have developed music that combines the different timbres of acoustic and electric guitars to create their signature sound. Their performances and recordings have received critical acclaim, and while the members are still only in their mid-twenties, New West looks forward to a bright future.

• “New West is poised to inherit a voice with the world's cultural change-makers…”
- Minor Seventh.com

• “Through years of practice, the group's sense of time and their ability to interact are sharp and refined”
- Seattle Times

• “…a fine showcase for the musicians, as well as a tribute to the endlessly fascinating and mutable instrument they play.”
- All About Jazz

• “…you'll find that the music is as much James Taylor and Radiohead as it is Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny”
- KQED Arts

• “The trio's tunes are smart, sophisticated and fascinating…”
- Press Play

• “This three guitar ensemble successfully combines various sub-genres of Americana, Folk, and Blues.”
- Jazz Review.com

• “The three-guitar acoustic sound is pure ear candy.”
- Jazz Society of Oregon

• "The group's sound is unique for guitar ensembles in that they all play a variety of instruments, giving them a wide range of sonic possibilities, which they bring to bear with great effect on this disc…how these guitarists are so clearly able to create a smooth sound without getting in each other’s way is a testament to not only their arrangements, but also their musicianship…”
- Jazz Review.com

• "...a mix of acoustic and electric guitars with a folk-based urgency that comes off like a more active version of the early Windham Hill sound...These guys make the potentially limiting idea of an all-guitar group work."
-Cadence Magazine

• “…one of the premier guitar ensembles in the country.”
-Anthony Wilson, Guitarist for Diana Krall

• "New West is comprised of three of the brightest stars among a new generation of guitarists...I have a feeling that they are just at the beginning of a long and wonderful journey that will bring much joy to the global music community.
-Larry Koonse, Jazz Guitarist, California Institute of the Arts Faculty

• ". . .a breakthrough for jazz guitar. Utilizing all the colors of the instrument, they are unique, not unlike a string quartet, but with the addition of three outstanding individual jazz voices. "
- John Pisano, Legendary Jazz Guitarist


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Member Since:

June 10, 2007

Members:

DISCOGRAPHY:
New All-Acoustic Record! BUY CD
The debut recording of New West as a trio. The album also features renowned vocalist Gretchen Parlato.


DVD Release on Mel Bay! BUY DVD


Latest CD on Art Song Records .. BUY CD


New West's debut recording ..See Review

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Record Label:

Traugott, Artsong, Mel Bay, Flora