Articles by Jason West

Hot Rod Jazz God, Part 2: An Open Letter to Rod Stewart

by Jason West
May 28, 2013

Um, Mr. Stewart, if you're reading this, first I want to apologize. In the past I wrote some things that you may have found slightly offensive.Like those bits about harmless Uncle Rod who shows up on holidays with a bottle-shaped microphone and comparing your interpretation of standard jazz melodies to a bull in downtown Pamplona. Sorry, mate. I take it back. I admit I was bitter.Bitter because I'm a jazz musician. And like most jazz musicians, ...

What is Jazz? Good Question...

by Jason West
January 12, 2012

What is jazz? According to Wynton Marsalis jazz is music that swings. According to Pat Metheny jazz is not the music of Kenny G. According to Webster's jazz is characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre. Personally, I prefer the definition found in the old musician's joke about jazz being “better than sex, and it lasts longer." Certainly, the question is a highly subjective one. ...

Restore Your Soul: George Duke in Concert, Boston

by Jason West
February 15, 2008

George Duke Berklee Performance Center Boston, Massachusetts January 31, 2008

When George Duke walked out on stage this evening, he was greeted with a show of love befitting one of soul music's favorite sons. Showered with supportive shouts from Berklee students with whom he had spent a week-long residency, Duke didn't have to win over his audience: he had them in his pocket from the first soulful beat.

Backed by a 13-piece ...

Lucian Ban: Transylvania's Rhapsody in Blue

by Jason West
December 18, 2007

One of the most creative new musicians on the New York City scene, Lucian Ban is a Transylvanian pianist and composer whose collaborations with fellow NYC jazzers continue to produce a burgeoning collection of original music. Recordings with Bob Stewart, Alex Harding, and Jorge Sylvester highlight Lucian's prodigious recent output, a body of work that includes five releases in the last five years.Raised in the tiny farming village of Teaca, situated in the center of Transylvania, Ban grew ...

Maria Schneider Flies into Boston: "Look, Up in the Sky! It's an Orchestra!"

by Jason West
December 12, 2007

Maria Schneider Orchestra Berklee Performance HallBoston, Massachusetts November 17, 2007 The power of Maria Schneider's musical imagery calls to mind a variation on a superhero movie tagline: “You will believe a band can fly." And fly they did on what was their Boston debut, with the orchestra's diminutive blonde bandleader, adorned in matching black slacks and blouse, piloting her 18-piece supergroup and a capacity audience on an expansive, multifarious aural flight around the globe. ...

Motel 5: As For You

by Jason West
December 1, 2007

The phone in my office rang twice. I let the machine get it. The voice on the other end sounded desperate. “Hey, West, I need a band to play Bill Gates' house. Rough life, I mused, planning private parties for billionaires. Imagine all the stress involved in picking out the hippest flower arrangements, trendiest color schemes, fanciest hors d'oeurves, and ice sculptures shaped like a school of humpbacked whales in full breach. All on ...

Tad Britton: Black Hills

by Jason West
July 23, 2007

Tad Britton Black Hills Origin Records 2007

It's unanimous. Of the 8 cuts on Black Hills - the debut release from a Seattle jazz trio featuring pianist Marc Seales, acoustic bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer/bandleader Tad Britton - the overwhelming favorite is “Fire and Rain. This according to the latest VIP friends and family listening/focus group sponsored by Mr. Britton and Origin Records. Turns out Tad's lads back in his hometown of ...

Hal Galper: Furious Rubato

by Jason West
July 22, 2007

Hal Galper Furious Rubato Origin Records 2007

The new recording from pianist Hal Galper, with double-bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, initially conjures to mind the free improvisations of Cecil Taylor, Don Pullen with Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner with John Coltrane, and Miles Davis, whose “Milestones and “Miles Ahead appear among these eight tracks. Mr. Galper plays orchestral piano, utilizing the full range of his instrument to interpret ...

Paul de Barros: Critically Speaking

by Jason West
March 13, 2007

Admittedly, Paul de Barros could use a good ass-kicking. As the only on-staff jazz critic in a city with four major newspapers and a local scene overflowing with clubs and exceptional musicians, de Barros is in need of some healthy competition. Make that any competition. Criticism is the big missing ingredient in our juicy jazz scene, according to de Barros, who notes, regrettably, “When Roberta Penn was at the (Seattle) P-I, at least I had to worry if she was ...

Essential Michael Brecker

by Jason West
January 18, 2007

This article was originally published at All About Jazz in November 1999. Michael Brecker's contributions to music are generous and, like the pregnant ideas that flow from his tenor horn, they continue to grow. At 50, the saxophonist has found acceptance in a wide variety of musical settings, having performed with pop stars like John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, and jazz heavyweights the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, and Jaco Pastorius. Brecker's resume includes extensive work ...