"hollow is the way it goes when the forest reflects your soul..."
Wow, just wow. Listening to "Amelia" by Boston raised, New York based jazz pop singer-songwriter Jackie West (from her self titled debut release on February 23rd (2022) via Westernesse) and I am struck by the lovely vocal and musical shapes that are caressing my ears and my heart. The gentle sway softened by string arrangements pushed by Jackie's nylon string guitar embellishments while understated horn melodies soar and drum highlights softly explode creates a lovely 60's color muted film for Jackie's vox to amble through. Her vocal aesthetic has that sort of 60's light jazz pop dance, her tones self reflective like she is singing to herself while staring through windows. I am struck by the details of her voice, the word "apart" is colored blue and said in such a unique way. The tenderness makes me flash on the past and in some parallel universe "Amelia" could of existed on black and white television performed by Burt Bacharach and Jackie DeShannon on vocals.
Of the song, Jackie West shares:
"Amelia is about a dear friend who also represents the 'agape' love state after you've come and gone from each other's lives many times. You know their weather in your heart and maybe you project a bit of idealism onto them, but they are actual magic, so they drink imaginative energy like water and you watch them grow in to sunflowers"
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.instagram.com/jacquelynwest/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i2nxb8jZ6cmWzI7UkS7Np
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.instagram.com/jacquelynwest/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i2nxb8jZ6cmWzI7UkS7Np
Jackie West was raised in a musical family in Boston. She studied classical and jazz theory but left it behind to travel to the shores of Martha’s Vineyard working on an old boat yard at first and soon finding her way to work on farms: tilling, harvesting, gardening and taking care of horses on the island. That year, Jackie got to know a community of folk musicians and began learning songs and writing music on an old acoustic guitar she borrowed.
From there she moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she began to sing Jazz at a weekly residency while starting a project with her long time friend Emily Gasda, which led to an invitation to travel to Paris to record with Lewis Lazar (Oracle Sisters) on his reel to reel in Montmartre resulting in an EP called ‘Ivansencha’.
After this adventure, Jackie West returned to New York and began writing songs prolifically in her own write, all the while developing as a jazz singer by trade in the corners of Brooklyn and Manhattan’s speakeasies and bars. Teaming up with producer Jon Wiley, these songs resulted in what is her debut EP self titled ‘Jackie West’ released with Westernesse in 2022.
From there she moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she began to sing Jazz at a weekly residency while starting a project with her long time friend Emily Gasda, which led to an invitation to travel to Paris to record with Lewis Lazar (Oracle Sisters) on his reel to reel in Montmartre resulting in an EP called ‘Ivansencha’.
After this adventure, Jackie West returned to New York and began writing songs prolifically in her own write, all the while developing as a jazz singer by trade in the corners of Brooklyn and Manhattan’s speakeasies and bars. Teaming up with producer Jon Wiley, these songs resulted in what is her debut EP self titled ‘Jackie West’ released with Westernesse in 2022.
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We get by with a little help from our friends
Jackie West, "Amelia", Folk, Chamber Pop, Dream Pop, Boston, jazz, jazz pop, singer songwriter, musician, composer, New York, Brooklyn, nylon string guitar embellishments,
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