10.22.12 Special Monday Night Event: New West Guitar Trio

 ”. . .a breakthrough for jazz guitar. Utilizing all the colors of the instrument, they are unique, not unlike a string quartet, but with the addition of three outstanding individual jazz voices. . “ - John Pisano, Legendary Jazz Guitarist 

Featuring three young guitar virtuosos, New West Guitar Group has been making their mark as the premier acoustic/electric guitar ensemble. Based in Los Angeles, their original music combines the different timbres of acoustic and electric guitars to create their signature sound.

Recently, New West has collaborated with renown jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato and world-class acoustic guitar luthier Jeff Traugott to produce their third album, “Sleeping Lady.”

New West was established when the members were all students at the University of Southern California. As music majors, New West collaborated with USC to become the first group to receive the coveted Thornton Protégé Grant. It was during this time that the Los Angeles Sister Cities Committee honored the group as musical ambassadors of LA. This honor gave them the chance to perform at the 2005 World Exposition in Nagoya, Japan and the 2007 German-American Volksfest in Berlin, Germany.

Featuring guitarist Jeff Stein, John Storie and Perry Smith New West has continued to perform in major venues throughout Canada, Japan, Europe, and the United States. In August 2009 New West performed at the Britt Festival in Southern Oregon as the opening act for Diana Krall.

 ”New West is comprised of three of the brightest stars among a new generation of guitarists…I have a feeling that they are just at the beginning of a long and wonderful journey that will bring much joy to the global music community. -Larry Koonse, Jazz Guitarist, California Institute of the Arts Faculty

  “…one of the premier guitar ensembles in the country.” -Anthony Wilson, Guitarist for Diana Krall

New West Guitar Trio website