1	Baltimore Oriole	9:37 	
2	Like A Rolling Stone	8:00 	
3	Wichita Lineman		6:10 	
4	Romance In The Dark		7:12 	
5	Man Wanted	2:59 	
6	Nature Boy	6:33 	
7	Don't Think Twice	4:46 	
8	Where Flamingos Fly		6:37 	
9	Pocketful Of Miracles	3:57 	
10	Softly As In A Morning Sunrise	5:39 	
11	My Romance	5:16 

Paula West - vocals
George Mesterhazy - piano
Ed Cherry - guitar
Barak Mori - bass
Jerome Jennings - drums

Devotees of superior jazz vocalists have several reasons to rejoice about this fourth CD by the highly respected San Francisco-based Paula West. First and foremost, the recording is simply a true knockout; but the rejoicing is also because, despite rave audiences and reviews for over a decade, this is West's first release since the impressively executed Come What May (High Horse) in 2001.

Recorded during an engagement at New York City's Jazz Standard in 2011, it features stellar but recently departed pianist/arranger George Mesterhazy's quartet (including guitarist Ed Cherry), the excellent band with which she has long collaborated. Those hearing West for the first time will be struck initially by her unusually strong and rich vocal instrument, with breath control, purity of tone and pitch to die for. But these eleven tracks reveal far more riches.

As expected with melodic jazz storytellers, the Great American Songbook is a significant part of West's material. But two other sources furnish the opportunity for interestingly different interpretations and moods: 1940s black hits and 1960s rock and pop.

The opener, Hoagy Carmichael's classic "Baltimore Oriole"—taken at a jaunty medium tempo featuring drums, bass and guitar—finds West embarking on a sensually exhilarating ride. An optimistically voiced "Pocketful of Miracles" and spiritually uplifting "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise" likewise showcase smoothly invigorating handling of different tempos. And the ballads—"Nature Boy," "Where Flamingos Fly" and Rodgers and Hart's "My Romance"—are beautifully poignant.

The older African-American material is very stimulating, including a deliberate and intimately inviting version of Lillian "Lil" Green's 1940 blues composition and major hit, "Romance in the Dark," and Leonard Feather's earthy, boldly projected and irresistibly swinging "Man Wanted," originally written for the incomparable (but sadly neglected) Ethel Waters, for whom West has shown a strong affinity.

The contemporary material here is Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman," taken at a yearning, slow-burning tempo supported by Barak Mori's bowed bass; Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," where West digs into the dramatic lyrics with the building intensity of a steamroller; and the gently philosophical "Don't Think Twice," another Dylan tune (clearly a favorite for West), sung expressively and memorably with her deep, dark satin timbre.

Regardless of the material, the most lasting quality resonating on Live at Jazz Standard is West's serenely knowing sense of command that's very natural and very moving. ---Tom Pierce, allaboutjazz.com

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01. Temptation    06:05.25
02. There's No You    05:17.72
03. You Came a Long Way from St. Louis    03:36.40		play
04. You'll See    06:11.70
05. Mountain Greenery    04:36.28
06. Don't Explain    05:34.25
07. Nice and Easy    03:48.72							play
08. If I Only Had a Brain    05:50.43
09. Always True to You In My Fashion    04:19.57
10. You're My Thrill    07:33.50
11. Tired    04:42.03
12. Peel Me a Grape    03:45.35
13. Skylark    05:58.12
14. Comes Love    03:19.40
15. A Kiss to Build a Dream On    05:26.58

Paula West - Vocals 
Ken Muir - Piano
Brad Buethe - Guitar 
Dave Tidball - Clarinet, Saxophone 
Bill Douglass - Bass
Al Obidinski - Bass 
Tom Duckworth - Drums 

Many professional singers have some musical spark in their backgrounds that initially fired their interest in a career in the music business. Many started out in the church choir. Others worked in regional musical theater. But for jazz singer Paula West, there was nothing in her background to indicate early on that she would end up where she is today: making albums and performing live at such swanky venues as the Oak Room in New York's Algonquin Hotel and the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco.

A native of San Diego and the daughter of a Marine, West was one of three children. Although she learned to play the clarinet during her childhood, jazz wasn't something that her parents frequently listened to around the house. Instead, her dad preferred classical music. It wasn't until she entered college that West began to dig deeper into the jazz tradition. Her own interest drove her on, independent of course work or other influences, and she sought out the recordings of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Julie London, Maxine Sullivan, Peggy Lee, and Sarah Vaughan. Upon her graduation she relocated to San Francisco, not knowing what her life's path would turn out to be, but sure that she had to pursue something in a creative vein. West set her sights on a career as a singer. She scoured old shops and thrift stores, hoping to find recordings of some jazz standards. West learned the older jazz classics and enrolled in voice classes. After building up her confidence, she risked participation at open-mike nights. During one such night she made the acquaintance of Ken Muir, a piano player who liked what he heard so much that he became her accompanist.

West continued to study the recordings made by jazz legends, as well as training with Faith Winthrop. Throughout this decade-long education, West supported herself by waiting tables. She made her recording debut in 1995 with Temptation. ~ Linda Seida, Rovi

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