From the Bay Area (re-)emerges a guitarist whose skill and distinctive sound make it surprising he isn’t more well-known, especially in guitar nerd circles. Working almost exclusively in an acoustic format on six-string and custom eight-string guitars, Jack West led the eclectic ensemble Curvature in the nineties and ‘aughts, as represented by the new compilation Essential Curvature. With West’s axework augmented by drums, marimba, second guitar, cello, and occasional extra instrumentation, the band combined jazz, folk, rock, and anything else that was lying around into a series of five records that defy easy classification.
“Interaction Shift,” for example, choogles along on a funky groove led by drummer Peter Valsamis and marimba player Joel Davel, with West and co-guitarist Dean Magraw adding tasteful solos. Armed with a loop pedal and supported only by drummer Scott Proffitt, West lays down some of his most intricate, progressive folk guitar work on “Colored Shells.” “This Life May Be Monitored (for Quality Assurance)” swirls inside of an odd time signature, as West picks and slides over Scott Amendola’s kit, while cellist Mark Summer adds harmonic counterpoint. Despite being dominated by piercing acoustic lead guitar (performed by Magraw) and warm marimba (Davel again), the grooving “Nigel’s Dream” claims to be inspired by Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel. The fractured blues of “Moon With a View” comes lathered with West’s trademark slide playing, as Davel, guitarist Brian Hill, and drummer Ricky Carter gracefully dance across the rhythm. Drawing cuts from all five recordings, Essential Curvature covers a lot of ground without ever losing the focus of West’s vision.
West’s return isn’t only to celebrate his past, however. Guitars On Life is a brand-new record co-starring fellow guitarist Walter Strauss. West narrows his focus here, primarily taking on the rhythm roleby thumbslapping the strings like a funk bassist and smacking his guitar’s body to keep the beat. That’s not to say he doesn’t add some of his trademark slide to the mix as well, but primarily he constructs a sonic lattice for Strauss to travel. Known for his work with everyone from jazz cellist Hank Roberts and musical polymath Joe Craven to Cuban violinist Tammy López Moreno and Malian kora wizard Sidiki Diabeté, Strauss makes his melody lines weave and soar, providing perfect contrast to his partner’s rhythmic churn.
The opener “More Guitar” lays out the pair’s aesthetic immediately, both in thought and deed. “Double Bounce” and “OO” get all funky-butt, as West keeps the groove moving and Strauss adds tasteful filigree. “Follow the Water Down” turns the heat down to a simmer for the most overtly melodic and melancholy of the album’s tunes. “New Way Up” brings each player closer together, with more tuneship emanating from West’s eight strings and more rhythm from Strauss’s six. Even more evocative of the duo’s vision, a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” – memorably transformed into a guitar showcase by Tuck Andress thirty-five years ago – allows both musicians to come out guns blazing, with as high energy a performance of Wonder’s joyful classic as can be imagined. It’s a fitting way to end the beginning of a partnership we can only hope leads to a volume 2.
