JUN 7-17 | 40TH ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ FESTIVAL
Jun 16, 2023
Herbst Theatre
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
› The New Yorker: A Jazz Album Made to Last
Paula West, an artist JazzTimes calls “the finest jazz-cabaret singer around,” celebrates the 25th anniversary of her 1998 debut album Temptation.
The San Francisco jazz treasure is not the kind of singer who uses her voice like an instrument, improvising long scat solos. West prefers to work around the edges of a melody, stretching a word here or clipping a phrase there so that each piece sounds as if it was written with her voice in mind. When not enthralling Bay Area audiences, West has become a Manhattan fixture, earning New York Nightlife Awards for “Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist.” In 2013, trumpet luminary Wynton Marsalis recruited her to sing the lead role in the reprise of his Pulitzer Prize-winning opus Blood On the Fields.
Adding to her allure is West’s reputation as a song sleuth who has uncovered startlingly effective jazz vehicles amidst the work of Sonny Bono, Jimmy Webb and the Rolling Stones. She’s released four stunning albums since settling in the Bay Area in the late 1980s and has become a true San Francisco musical treasure.
In their recent article recognizing Temptation’s enduring legacy, The New Yorker said, “(The album) was a word-of-mouth hit in 1997. Twenty-five years later, it’s still just about perfect.”
For this quarter-century celebration of her debut, West revisits the album’s eclectic song list, from Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed’s 1933 title tune to Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” delivered in her singular style.
For this quarter-century celebration of Temptation, West revisits the album’s eclectic song list, from Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed’s 1933 title tune to Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” delivered in her singular style.
Paula West’s 'Temptation' was a word-of-mouth hit in 1997. Twenty-five years later, it’s still just about perfect.
The New Yorker
Paula West’s 'Temptation' was a word-of-mouth hit in 1997. Twenty-five years later, it’s still just about perfect.
The New Yorker
Watch & Listen
Paula West
Temptation
Paula West
Peel Me a Grape
Paula West
Temptation
Paula West
Peel Me a Grape