S2: Ep 5 Music of San Francisco with Paula West
Season 2 Episode 5: Music of San Francisco with Paula West
This week’s musical guest has been a San Francisco Bay Area-based artist for many years. Jazz singer Paula West began her successful career singing at the York Hotel in the city. Her career grew by word of mouth and excellent reviews from the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Since her early years, Paula has had a lot of success nationally, with performances in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Europe, and regular appearances at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City and with Wynton Marsalis Jazz at Lincoln Center. Back in the bay, she regularly performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland and SF Jazz in the city.
Paula West’s contralto voice is rich and resonant. She is skilled at clearly articulating a strong combination of technique and soul. She is creative and willing to reimagine the ways in which Jazz singers perform. Her musical dynamism even goes beyond vocal technique, as she is well known for her “highly nuanced interpretations” of music from other genres of artists like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, and Lou Reed.*
We at Beyond the Fog Radio were very fortunate to interview Paula in August 2021 in between her first live performances in a year and a half. She is a household name when it comes to Jazz, and we proudly claim her as one of our own here in the Bay Area.
Meet Paula West!
*for more information about Paula West, please visit her website: https://www.mspaulawest.com/about
