Guitars On Life

Description

Guitars On Life lifts the veil on the mystery surrounding the fate of a musician who, at the turn of the century, distinguished himself by his exceptional talent, even within the creative abundance of the San Francisco Bay Area. After more than twenty years of discographic silence and a dozen years away from the stage, Jack West is back, still immediately recognizable as a guitarist and composer, but far from having reached his peak. Ironically, his shift to the other side of the scene was marked by fruitful work in the development of innovative solar technologies, reflecting the tireless inventive spirit that had characterized him. The last time we heard from West, he had carved out a prominent place for himself as a guitarist, recognized for his percussive playing and the richness of his group sound. Wielding a custom-made eight-string acoustic guitar with extraordinary rhythmic dexterity, he released six albums of his original compositions, primarily recorded with his band Curvature (though he also gave captivating solo recitals). West's talent for creating shimmering, meticulously detailed soundscapes, full of surprises and strangely alluring textures, prompted NPR to describe his work as "a whole new subgenre of jazz." Drawn back to the stage in recent years, West saw guitarist Walter Strauss at the Freight & Salvage festival in Berkeley in 2022 and sensed he had found a kindred spirit. Intrigued by Strauss's unique approach to the guitar, West "wondered what a musical dialogue between two guitarists who had developed such different ways of playing the instrument might sound like." An invitation to play together led them to compose "More Guitar," the virtuosic opening track that launches the album Guitars On Life. A few months later, they spent a week in Florida composing intensively, which gave rise to most of the pieces on this still-captivating project.