Brodie West is a Canadian alto saxophonist who has worked with The Ex,[1] Getatchew Mekuria,[1] Sandro Perri,[2] Lina Allemano,[2] Hamid Drake[3] and Gord Downie.[2]

Brodie West
BornSaskatoon, Sask., CANADA
GenresAvant-garde jazz, free jazz, experimental
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Alto saxophone, clarinet,[1]

Biography

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Born in 1975 and raised in Nanaimo, British Columbia,[4] West began playing saxophone in the sixth grade.[4] In his teens, West began performing as well as attending educational programs which led to being awarded a soprano saxophone at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Idaho, and receiving the Rising Star Award at Musicfest Canada, which included a full scholarship to Humber College in Toronto in 1993.[4]

Career

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In 1998, West formed a trio called Zebradonk with drummer Shawn Abedin and trumpeter Alfons Fear.[4] Deciding to do a busking tour of Europe, the trio met Han Bennink at Bimhuis in Amsterdam.[4]

West began studying with Misha Mengelberg in Amsterdam[2] and while there he reconnected with Han Bennink who introduced West to Terrie Hessels of the Dutch experimental band The Ex.[4] West then began touring with The Ex playing over 100 dates between 2005 and 2015.[2] He appeared with The Ex and Getatchew Mekurya on the albums Moa Anbessa,[5] Y'Anbessaw Tezeta,[6] and The Ex at Bimhuis.[7]

West has since formed The Brodie West Quintet which has released the album Clips[8] and Eucalyptus[4] which released the album Kick It Till You Flip It in 2019.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Brodie West". Toronto Jazz Festival. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e McDowall, Kerilie (August 6, 2018). "Brodie West Finds Rhythm with The Ex, Mengelberg, Bennink". Downbeat. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Devlin, Mike (September 28, 2017). "For Drake, free jazz is freedom from pre-conceived notions". Times Colonist. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Storring, Nick. "The Aural Perspectives of Brodie West". Musicworks. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "Moa Anbessa". Bandcamp. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "Y'Anbessaw Tezeta". Bandcamp. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Brodie West: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  8. ^ Jacobson, Josef (October 2, 2018). "Nanaimo-raised saxophonist Brodie West back for hometown show at the White Room". Nanaimo News Bulletin. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Kick It Till You Flip It". Bandcamp. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
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