Stan WEST - My Blues 1995

Stan WEST - My Blues 1995
Label: Resonator

Blues

Stan West knows the blues.  That's the first
thing obvious when you hear this CD.  The second is that Stan knows guitar
sounds.  Some of the tones on this CD are so sweet they almost made me
melt into a puddle.  I feel happy if I can get some of these sounds once a
year on stage, let alone throughout an entire album recorded live, in one
take.
   Things get hoppin' right away with the jump-boogie "Get Outta Dodge"
(…in my Chevrolet).  A great solo by guitarist Jeff Ross, a nasty harp solo
by Jeff "Dutch" Masters, and a blistering slide solo by Stan propel this
clever tune and gets the joint jumpin'.
   The guitar work throughout the entire album is masterful.  Whether it's
killer slide kicking off "Blue Heart Disease", some nice slow Blues from
Jeff Ross in "Crazy, Crazy, Crazy", or gorgeous Delta-style bottleneck
on the tribute to Robert Johnson "Delta King".  The whole band is in fine
form.  Stan covers the slide work (and it's always excellent), plus plays
National Hawaiian on the two Delta-style numbers.  Jeff Ross plays lead
and a National Style "O" guitar on the acoustic numbers.  There are
numerous fine harp solos by the aforementioned Mr. Masters, while the
rhythm section of Dave Childers on guitar, Mike "Rocko" Occhiato on bass,
and Mike Sessa on drums keep things moving the way they should be.
   Some other highlights include "Medfly Blues", which is a nice loud
shuffle with fine solos all around and a punched turnaround that avoids
all the familiar Blues clichés.  The very sarcastic "Overnight Bluesman"
takes a stab at the players who suddenly become Bluesmen when it looks like
they might be able to make some money.  It's pretty funny, with a punchline
during the last verse which I can't repeat here.  It also features a nice
slide solo from West.
   There's other stuff worth hearing here, including a tribute to Stevie
Ray Vaughan called "So Sad, So Sad", and a plea for a stop to gang
violence, "Bullet Hole".  Through it all, Stan's vocals really shine along
with the fine work from the band.
   All in all, this is a fine CD.  Most certainly the real deal.
By John Heidt.
**
Stan West's musical interests were sparked in the mid 50's by Elvis and Jimmy Reed. Not realizing it was Blues or Blues influenced, he just liked the sound and feel of it. It was then that he started singing and playing the guitar, trying to imitate the sounds he heard.
By 1960, heavily influenced by Dick Dale, Stan was playing surf guitar in his band "The Outsiders". Then in late 1963, he heard the Rolling Stones' covers of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Stan traced the originators of this music and discovered THE BLUES. Upon his high school graduation in 1964, Stan moved to Hollywood to play the Sunset Strip with his Blues/Rock band "US".

He played up and down The Strip, including 6 months at the famous beatnik club, "Pandora's Box". While performing in Hollywood he met a lot of unknown bands and musicians, including The Doors, Seeds, Love and Frank Zappa. He even performed on stage at the "Sea Witch" with the new girl in town from San Francisco, Janis Joplin.

During the sixties, Stan honed his craft, becoming very proficient on vocals, guitar slide and saxophone. He also studied Jazz Improvisation at Berklee School of Music. In the early seventies, Stan added pedal steel guitar to his arsenal and worked almost exclusively in country bands and western swing bands…playing seven nights a week.

In June of 1977, Stan's music came to a sudden halt. Suffering a stroke which left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, Stan thought his playing days were over. He was not able to finger his guitar or saxophone. After a few months Stan fell back on his ability to play Slide or Bottleneck Guitar, which did not require him to use his left hand for fingering. Applying all the knowledge from all of the instruments he used to play, Stan developed his own unique slide guitar style. In 1979, when he thought he was ready to play clubs again, Stan started "The Stan West Band".

Playing a mixture of Country Rock and Blues, the band became quite popular in the L.A. area. In 1983, Stan opened "Stan's Guitar Shop" in Glendora. No longer having to rely on music for his income, Stan committed to play his first love, The Blues, exclusively. Since then, Stan and his band have played many clubs in the L.A. and Orange County areas, always playing the raw and downhome Blues Slide Guitar Style.

Stan has two CD's out to his credit, 1994's "My Blues" and "West Coast Slide", released in February 1997. Stan was just starting to promote and perform the music of "West Coast Slide" when his career came to another screeching halt. In May of this year Stan was diagnosed with coronary heart disease. This led to a couple of hospital stays and some work done to his heart.

If Stan is to continue living, he has to adhere to new rules and follow a new life style. One of the toughest is NO MORE PERFORMING IN SMOKE FILLED CLUBS!!!!!!!! Needless to say, the gigs are few and far between these days for Stan and his band.
**
01. Get Outta Dodge
02. Blue Heart Disease
03. So Sad, So Sad (For Steve Ray)
04. I Just Can't Take It No More
05. Delta King
06. Medfly Blues
07. Overnight Bluesman
08. Crazy, Crazy, Crazy
09. Bullet Hole
10. "Big Bone" (For Mr. Norris)
**
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