Chris West Blog – Trilogy and Other Projects

Hello Friends,

Well, the past month and a half has been very busy and exciting for me.

First and foremost, the artwork for my new 3 volume release, The Surprise Trilogy, is finally finished (thanks toErick Anderson!!!!!!!). I will be sending the first album off for duplication in the next couple of week, and hopefully will have an album release party scheduled for late October or November. So, please keep an eye open for that.

I’ve been working on tracks for my next CD project (after the Trilogy). I also finished up tracking for another CD project with some old friends from the Guy Smiley Blues Exchange (Pete Meriwether and Frank Reynolds) as well as other top notch musicians/friend (Scott Hall). I will start overdubs for that next week and hopefully that will be available by the end of the year!! This will be all original songs by the four of us, and it is an interesting mix of prog rock/funk/jazz/fusion/zappa-esq music. I’ve also been working on tracks for several other recording projects for various
people ranging from bluegrass, to big band, to funk, etc. I’ve been very fortunate to get to work on a great variety of really good music lately.

Several new dates have been added to my Calendar, so be sure to check that out!

As always, thanks so much for all of your support!

Chris

Chris West Blog – Europe and New Music

Hello Friends,

Sorry it’s been a while since my last blog, I’ve been rather busy lately. I just got back from Europe with the Dynamites, and I must admit this was the best Europe trip yet. We went to Norway for the first time, and also returned to Finland, UK, Belgium, France, and Spain. I made several new friends and left with tons of inspiration!!

My new CD trilogy, entitled The Surprise Trilogy is so close to being done, pretty much just need a cover! So be on the lookout of that very soon. In the meantime, you can purchase my first CD entitled Jazzmanic from the website (www.jazzmanic.com). Also, I will have tracks for the new trilogy, as well as other tracks I’ve been working on available to purchase and download from the website very soon.

Be sure to look at the calendar for any upcoming shows, and I hope to see you all very soon!!

Chris

Chris West Blog – New projects, new tours

Hello friends!

Things have been a little busy lately, and I have some exciting things coming up!! First, the Dynamites next album, entitled Burn It Down, is finished and is set to be released in mid-September. I have a song on this one (a cowrite with organist Charles Treadway) that I’m very excited about. We just returned from a tour in Colorado that was very successful and we head back to Europe on July 9 for two weeks in France, Spain, and Switzerland.

I’ve also been touring with Columbia recording artist Mike Farris. We played at Bonaroo this past month and will be taking off to California to play the High Sierra Music Fest for July 4th weekend.

I’ve been working on finishing up my new project, the Surprise Trilogy. Most of the recording is finished and the first of the three discs should be released by the end of the year!!! Keep an eye open for that. I also purchased a new horn a couple weeks ago that I’m very excited about; an old King Super 20 made in 1954. This horn gives me a warmer, meatier tone than the one I’ve been playing.

Other than that, I’ve been doing a lot of arranging for different albums coming out soon, a couple that I’m really excited about: strings on an album by Pastor Seon Thompson entitled “I’m Out” and horn arrangements on an album by Sarah Williams entited “Ruby”. Keep an eye open for these projects coming out soon.

Chris West Blog – Europe and Motown

Hello all,

I’ve returned from Europe. I was very fortunate to hit a few new countries on this trip (Holland and England), as well as visit a few countries which we’ve played in before (Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland.) I made several new friends and even ran into some old friends. And although I had a great time, I’m glad to be home. I’ve spent the past week playing catch up from being gone, as well as getting charts together for my next studio session this week, as well as for my performance at Windows off the Cumberland on Wednesday.

I had the honor to play with Motown’s own Bob Babbitt. He was the house bass player for Motown after James Jamerson and is the bass player on several Motown classics. We played a benefit in Hendersonville this past Saturday night. I had a great time and hope I’m fortunate enough to get to play with this group some more.

I hope everyone is well and look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at Windows Off the Cumberland (check my Calendar for more details).

Chris

Chris West Blog – European tour and in the studio

Hello Friends,

I’m currently in Europe (Germany) on tour with The Dynamites, and things are going great! We’ve played 4 shows so far, 3 in Germany and 1 in London (at the legendary Jazz Café) and they have all been incredible!!! Great crowds, great venues, great food, etc. I am meeting some wonderful people and making new friends as well as running into some old friends from high school (hey Kinzli). I will be here until Dec. 1, performing in Germany, UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, and Switzerland. For more details on what cities and venues be sure to check the calendar section.

I also wanted to let everyone know about my new project I’m working on. I’ve been in the studio for the past several months working on my newest album. This project is mostly straight ahead(ish) jazz, slightly different from my first project, Jazzmanic, in that it is a little less funky and a little more jazzy. I’m very excited about this project. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while and I’m finally making it happen. I will be finishing recording in December and January, and plan on releasing it shortly after. Keep an eye and ear open and I’ll continue to update everyone on my progress. And again, you can always get the latest news here at www.jazzmanic.com. You can also sign up for my newsletter and we will send out regular updates.

Thanks for keeping up and I look forward to seeing everyone when I return.

Chris