Herbst Theatre at the San Francisco War Memorial Building (San Francisco, CA)
Paula West sings at the Herbst Theatre. West is one of California's most acclaimed jazz singers, known for her smoky voice and sophisticated interpretations of classic tunes. Backed by the George Mesterhazy Quartet, she'll sing songs ranging from Cole Porter and the Gershwins to Bob Dylan and Peggy Lee.
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The last date listed for Jazz Vocalist Paula West was Saturday October 10, 2009 / 8:00pm. (view all dates)
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We always love seeing Paula wherever she plays. This was our third time in 2009 alone. While much of the songlist was similar, her perfect delivery and the interesting arrangements are what bring us back time and again. She always finds a new forgotten or ignored song to add back to your memory bank! George and the other musicians were also in fine form.
Paula West is fantastic! The band was phenomenal! The show was simply marvelous. Love seeing her perform.
It's the combination of the quartet, the arrangement and Paula West that makes it truly entertaining - a great mixture.
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The Herbst is small by most performing-arts standards (only 928 seats). So despite its stately appearance, it provides a refreshingly intimate atmosphere.
Wine, beer, soda and coffee are often available in the Main Veterans marbled lobby for shows with intermissions (not lectures).
Website: http://performances.org/performances/0910/West.html
Jazz vocalist Paula West pairs with the George Mesterhazy Quartet for an evening of songs by Dylan, Cash, Peggy Lee and others at the Herbst Theatre, presented by San Francisco Performances.
Similar to her triumphant SFP concert last season, West will perform material she plans to take to New York’s famed Algonquin Hotel for an extended run. In a New York Times review of that show last year, critic Stephen Holden wrote, “Could it be that songs written more than 40 years ago are as good or better at addressing these scary times than what is written today? Ms. West’s compelling show invites you to believe that the past is present, and history runs in cycles. There she stands, at the front of the march.”
West, who lives in San Francisco, always includes songs by Bob Dylan in the set list and this year she brings “Maggie’s Farm,” which Dylan performed electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, outraging and exciting the audience. The other selection is “All I Really Want to Do.”
“I interpret All I Really Want to Do, for example, with all the craziness going on now, like people disrupting the town hall meetings on health care …,” says West. “It seems that some people want failure, and don't even want to give change a chance. … So, this song is what I have to say, what I want.”
Also on the program is Peggy Lee’s lesser-known Where Flamingos Fly and the Simon & Garfunkel hit Feelin’ Groovy (59th Street Bridge Song). West also typically dips into the Great American Songbook for works by Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter and the Gershwins.
West’s pianist and arranger of four years, George Mesterhazy, has accompanied some of the vocal greats of his time, including Shirley Horn, Bernadette Peters and Mark Murphy. Other quartet members are guitarist Ed Cherry (a veteran of 14 years with Dizzy Gillespie), bassist Barak Mori (who also works with singer Madeleine Peyroux and pianist Eric Reed), and drummer Jerome Jennings.
The band appeared with West at New York’s prestigious The Jazz Standard in May, followed by a concert at Yoshi’s San Francisco in July. Prior to that, West had her first concert appearance in Israel and her second in Turkey.
Growing up in San Diego, West didn’t sing in church or listen to jazz at home, where her Marine Corps father favored classical music. She played clarinet in school, turning her attention to singing only after she completed college and moved to San Francisco in 1988. She became known for her extended runs at the York Hotel’s now-shuttered Plush Room, where San Francisco Performances founder and President Ruth Felt heard her and recruited her for the SFP Salon Series at the Hotel Rex.
In 1996, the singer had the first of many annual extended runs at the Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room. After the Plush Room closed, she was the first artist to perform at the new Rrazz Room in the Hotel Nikko in February 2008.
San Francisco Performances celebrates 25 years as the Bay Area's leading independent presenter of chamber music, vocal and instrumental recitals, jazz and contemporary dance. Under the artistic direction of its founder, Ruth Felt, the organization presents internationally acclaimed and emerging performing artists, introduces innovative programs, and builds new and diversified audiences for the arts through education and outreach activities that also strengthen the local performing arts community. SFP is also committed to presenting artistically important programs that influence the development of the arts. This includes commissioning new works, offering programs featuring 20th and 21st century compositions and premieres, and presenting important American and international contemporary dance companies.