Chris West Releases Surprise Trilogy 3

Join Chris West in celebrating the release of the third and final album of The Surprise Trilogy on Wednesday, Dec 14, 2011.

The Surprise Trilogy is a project that West has been working on since mid 2008. The initial idea was a more organic, straight ahead follow-up album to his funky/acid jazz first release, Jazzmanic.

As he was slowly recording the songs for consideration (recording 2-3 songs at a time, once a month), West realized that he had written a lot of songs over the years, and wanted to record them all, if for nothing else, to archive. Eventually, he decided to record and release them all as The Surprise Trilogy.

This show will be held at the WO Smith Music School, located at 1125 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN. It is on the corner of 8th Ave. and Edgehill. The show starts at 7pm.

In addition to special guests, the band will include:

Jon Paul Frappier – Trumpet
Chris Dunn – Trombone
Mason Embry – Keys
Pat Bergeson – Guitar
Jerry Navarro – Bass
Bob Harsen – Drums

$10 gets you in the door AND a copy of the CD!

Suprise Trilogy 3 will be available in both CD and digital download format shortly after the release party date from Chris West’s website.

Chris West CD Release Party
Surprise Trilogy 3
W.O. Smith Music School
1125 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN
(615) 255-8355
Get Directions

Chris West Featured in Nashville Scene

Chris West’s new CD, Surprise Trilogy 2, reviewed by Jack Silverman for Nashville Scene, July 2011.

Read the original article HERE.

One of the more compelling story lines in the excellent HBO series Treme follows Delmond Lambreaux, a jazz trumpeter raised in New Orleans and living in New York City. Delmond’s cerebral hard-bop style seems to turn its back on the more visceral jazz tradition of his hometown, but he eventually becomes disillusioned with modern jazz’s insular world. One day, while visiting his father in the Big Easy, he watches some Mardi Gras Indians perform “Shallow Water, Oh Mama” while the jazz classic “Killer Joe” plays on a nearby boombox. As Delmond takes in the odd synergism of the unintentional mash-up, he has an epiphany, and embarks on a new project, fusing modern jazz with the slinky, visceral Mardi Gras music of his youth.

Though born and raised in Nashville, saxophonist Chris West might have had a similar revelation at some point. Listening to his new album, Surprise Trilogy 2 (the second installment of a three-part series), you get the impression he’s come to the same conclusion: Screw the jazz police. This shit’s supposed to be fun, not a museum piece. If you keep your eye on the idiom’s populist roots, embrace the forefathers’ trailblazing spirit — and most importantly, ignore any arbitrary boundaries imposed by purists — the results can be exhilarating.

Nowhere is West’s free-spirited attitude more evident than on the opening and closing tracks, “Surprise 2″ and “Surprise 3,” which are radically different versions of the same song. “Surprise 2″ features members of Half Brass — a Nashville group in the spirit of second-line torchbearers like Dirty Dozen and Rebirth — and would sound right at home in a Mardi Gras parade. (West is a member of Half Brass, in addition to being an in-demand sideman who’s worked with everyone from Brenda Lee and Deana Carter to Mike Farris and The Dynamites.)

Meanwhile, “Surprise 3″ employs a completely different backing band, and has more in common with avant-jazz pranksters Sex Mob than with a French Quarter throwdown. Essentially a deconstruction of the former track, it includes some terrific interplay between West and saxophonist Jeff Coffin (a mentor to West over the years), weaving back and forth between harmony and cacophony while exploiting the, er, hell out of the devil’s interval.

Varied approaches aside, though, both tracks have the same unabashed, life-affirming energy that is at the heart of jazz’s New Orleans roots. And that’s not to mention the other two versions of “Surprise” from the first album in the trilogy. In fact, of the 18 tracks on the first two discs, four of them are variations of the same song. And there are guaranteed to be more “Surprises” on ST3. It’s an engaging conceit, kind of like the big reprise at the end of a Broadway musical, and it gives the project some thematic continuity, in addition to providing some of the most explosive moments.

That’s not to dismiss the songs that aren’t titled “Surprise,” nor is it to suggest that this is an exclusively New Orleans affair. Far from it. The second track, “Maybe,” feels like a contemporary spin on Impressions-era Coltrane, and the three songs that follow — “New Insight,” “Pawn Shop Junkie” and “Perception of Perfection” — are complex and cerebral enough to pass muster with the most uptight jazz purists. (And that’s not a dis — “Pawn Shop Junkie,” with its obtuse, Monk-ish melody, is one of the strongest cuts.)

Other standouts include the Latin-tinged “Time’s Up” as well as “Rude Awakening,” an all-sax workout with West playing every instrument: Imagine the World Saxophone Quartet performing All Things Considered segue music. (Also not a dis — who doesn’t love those segues?)

This may all sound like a stylistic mishmosh, but it works, partly because West has honed his compositional skills, but more so because he’s grown into his voice, a sound that’s identifiable whether he’s blowing over hard-bop changes or putting the hot sauce on some greasy musical gumbo. With his Trilogy series, West is establishing himself as one of the area’s top jazz artists, on par with heavyweights such as Coffin, Don Aliquo and Rod McGaha. And like post-epiphany Delmond Lambreaux, he’s not going to be boxed in.

- Jack Silverman

Chris West Releases Surprise Trilogy 2

Chris West is releasing Surprise Trilogy 2. This is the second album of three in the Surprise Trilogy series.

Notable guests on Surprise Trilogy 2 include trumpeter Rod McGaha and saxophonist Jeff Coffin. One song of special note is Chris’ saxophone quartet, Rude Awakening (track 8), which will be performed at the upcoming release party.

Surprise Trilogy 2 will officially be released at an upcoming CD release party scheduled for Thursday, July 28, 2011 at The Basement. There is a $10 cover charge which gets you in the door and a free CD copy of Surprise Trilogy 2. More details are available on Chris’ Calendar HERE.

The album will also be available for purchase in CD and Digital Download formats through Chris’ store HERE after the CD release party date.

Chris West featured in Nashville Scene

Chris West’s new CD, Surprise Trilogy 1, featured as Critic’s Pick by Jack Silverman for Nashville Scene, February 2011.

Read the original article HERE.

If you’ve heard the lanky, goateed saxophonist blow his horn around town with funketeers The Dynamites, soul man Mike Farris, gospel goddesses The McCrary Sisters or second-line strutters Halfbrass, you know the boy is bad. But just how bad will become evident if you pick up West’s new album — the first in a three-disc set called The Surprise Trilogy, to be released in installments over the next year.

In addition to showcasing West’s formidable straight-ahead chops and compositions, the album is a showcase for some of the city’s best jazz talent, including Derrek Phillips, Jerry Navarro, Paul Horton, Pat Bergeson, Don Aliquo, Rod McGaha, Jeff Coffin and too many more to list here. (Guitarist Adam Agati, recently relocated to New York City, is particularly outstanding.)

According to West, the remaining two discs in the set will gradually push the envelope further from the straight jazz world, but don’t let that fool you: From the 45-second opening bop salvo to the slow-burn funk of “Bits & Pieces” to the Big Easy greasefest “Where I Got My Groove” to the romantic ballad “My Reward,” disc one is pretty boundary-shattering on its own, and it establishes West in the upper echelon of Nashville’s jazz world, alongside heavyweights like Coffin, McGaha and Aliquo. In other words, West could easily hang in NYC or LA — but we’re glad he’s here instead.
— Jack Silverman

Chris West Releases New Album

Nashville based saxophonist/woodwindist, Chris West, releases his new album, Surprise Trilogy 1.

This is the first album of three in the Surprise Trilogy series. Most of the nine original tracks are in the style of traditional jazz and pull from Chris’ straight ahead jazz genre influences, as opposed to the modern/funky jazz style of Jazzmanic, Chris’ debut album.

Notable guests on Surprise Trilogy 1 include trumpeter Rod McGaha (Surprise 1), saxophonist Don Aliquo (Kenny), saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Mr. Grossman), and New Orleans style group Halfbrass (Where I Got My Groove Back).

The album is available for pre-release purchase in CD and Digital Download formats through Chris’ website Jazzmanic.com HERE.

Surprise Trilogy 1 will officially be released at an upcoming CD release party scheduled for Feb 10, 2011 at The Basement. There is a $10 cover charge which gets you in the door and a free CD copy of Surprise Trilogy 1. More details are available on Chris’ Calendar HERE.

Chris West NYC Headline Debut

Chris West will be performing at Tea Lounge in Brooklyn, NY along with Nashville keyboardist, Paul Horton, as the Chris West/Paul Horton Quartet. Also featured on the date will be NYC jazz notables, Alan Hampton on bass and Tommy Crane on drums.

This will be Chris’ NYC headline debut and will feature many new songs from his upcoming 3 CD release, The Surprise Trilogy.

The show will include two sets which start at 9PM and 10:30PM, Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Find out more on Chris’ Calendar here.

Pick Your Price for Chris West MP3s

Pick your price for Chris West single song and full album DRM Free MP3 downloads through SongSlide.

Visit Chris West on SongSlide here.

For more information on purchase options, click here.

Chris West prepares for European tour

Chris West is headed to Europe for a month long tour with The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker.

Be sure to check out Chris’ Calendar which also has some local Nashville, TN dates when he returns from Europe.

Chris West expanding solo career

Saxophonist and multi-wind instrument player, Chris West, signs with Century Music Group with plans on continuing and expanding his solo career.

A veteran musician as a sideman in the studio and on the road, West is setting his sights beyond his successful debut album, Jazzmanic. He plans on writing new material and releasing new solo albums in the near future with the support of Century Music Group.