JACK WEST | Acoustic Guitar Duo with Walter Strauss | Jack West's Slide Guitar Ensemble Plays the Music of Curvature
Sun, 22 Feb, 7:30 PM PST
Doors open
6:00 PM PST
Catalina Jazz Club
6725 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Description
ACOUSTIC GROOVE MASTER JACK WEST
Celebrating the release of two new albums: Guitars On Life and Essential Curvature
LIVE! SUN, FEB 22nd at 7:30PM. Dinner begins at 6:00PM.
A prolific musician, composer, and bandleader, percussive acoustic guitarist Jack West is a singular musician with an immediately recognizable sound. His early career saw the release six albums that received widespread critical acclaim, and included steady performances at leading festivals and venues including SXSW, Atlanta Jazz Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, and The Freight in Berkeley. In parallel with his music career, West is also an inventor and has patented various new musical instruments and solar technologies, pursuits that have born impressive fruit. Jack has recently ramped up his musical output with multiple projects, including two new albums and supporting tour dates in early 2026.
Characterized by uncommon rhythmic dexterity, exploratory slide guitar work and a uniquely grooving, percussive acoustic style, West’s playing was described by The Oakland Tribune as sounding “like something never heard before... nothing short of astounding.” His recordings with his band Curvature have elicited extravagant praise, with Cadence Magazine calling his music “subtle, sensuous, accomplished, and mature,” while NPR declared his output “a whole new sub-genre of jazz.”
With his stunning new acoustic guitar duo album, West offers fans of acoustic guitar virtuosity a jaw-dropping sojourn. Guitars On Life presents a captivating collection of steel string duets with fellow guitar explorer Walter Strauss, best known for his extensive work with Malian artists (particularly kora master Sidiki Diabaté and ngoni innovator Mamadou Sidibe). With West supplying the bass, chords, and percussion lines of an entire rhythm section, his bass notes popping due to a thumb pick of his own invention, Strauss overlays expertly filigreed melodies. The result is a surprisingly large, full band sound emanating from just two acoustic guitars.
For this concert at Catalina’s, Jack West’s Slide Guitar Ensemble, featuring marimbist Lalo Crane, bassist Gary Brown, and drummer Josh Jones, will perform songs from the new double-LP retrospective Essential Curvature, and Jack West and Walter Strauss will perform as an acoustic Duo in celebration of the new LP Guitars On Life.
Get Your Tickets! Online at CatalinaJazzClub.com or TicketWeb.com
CLICK FOR MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt2GFBTtE4I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue8-gCBkhhM
Event Information
Age Limit
All Ages
World Jazz
Jack West
Jack West
World Jazz
Characterized by uncommon rhythmic dexterity, exploratory slide guitar work and a uniquely grooving, percussive acoustic style, Jack West’s playing was described by The Oakland Tribune as sounding “like something never heard before... nothing short of astounding.”
His recordings with his band Curvature have elicited extravagant praise, with Cadence Magazine calling his music “subtle, sensuous, accomplished, and mature,” while NPR declared his output “a whole new sub-genre of jazz.”
Country
Walter Strauss
Walter Strauss
Country
With his stunning new acoustic guitar duo album, West offers fans of acoustic guitar virtuosity a jaw-dropping sojourn. Guitars On Life presents a captivating collection of steel string duets with fellow guitar explorer Walter Strauss, best known for his extensive work with Malian artists (particularly kora master Sidiki Diabaté and ngoni innovator Mamadou Sidibe).
With West supplying the bass, chords, and percussion lines of an entire rhythm section, his bass notes popping due to a thumb pick of his own invention, Strauss overlays expertly filigreed melodies. The result is a surprisingly large, full band sound emanating from just two acoustic guitars.
Contemporary Jazz
Catalina Jazz Club
Catalina Jazz Club
Contemporary Jazz
The American dream came true for Catalina Popescu in October of 1986 when she and her husband Bob created a supper club devoted to serving an experience of superb eats and the shared magic of live performance. That grand experience began at the door where every night her mother Maria would greet each guest as family and share in their love of music. Housed in Hollywood and decked out in a timeless charm, the club offers a cozy ambience under sparkling stage lights garnished with its signature concoction — Jazz. The first artist to grace the stage was the masterful flutist and saxophonist Buddy Collette, and ever since then, over the past 36 years, the Catalina Jazz Club has hosted the most illustrious legends of all time — from the powerful puffers of Dizzy Gillespie to the electrified fingers of McCoy Tyner, the bubbly belt of Dee Dee Bridgewater and Lynda Carter, the flirtatious saxophone of Joshua Redman, the slick strumming of Kenny Burrell, the insane drum clinic of Steve Gadd, the romance of Steve Tyrell, and the masterclass of Mike Stern.
For Catalina, Jazz is our way of life. It breathes pain. It knows love. It dreams hope. It bleeds courage. Whether we’re showcasing Broadway, Soul, R&B, or stand-up comedy, the lesson learned from all the greats who have serenaded our spirits is how to connect to one another. And that’s why the Catalina Jazz Club will always have a table ready for you.
The Catalina Jazz Club has been honored by A.S.M.A.C., California Jazz Foundation, Los Angeles Jazz Society, and a City of Los Angeles Certificate of Appreciation on their 25th Anniversary, which was awarded by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the LA City Council which included then City Council member and current Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.