By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
Jazz pianist Bobby West, who only comes to Los Angeles once a year, will make a rare appearance with the Bobby West Trio Jan. 10.
The show at the World Stage in Leimert Park, a cultural hub and performing arts theater, begins at 8:30 p.m.
Although he was born in Louisiana, West was raised in South Los Angeles and is still considered one of the area’s native sons.
He only makes a pilgrimage to what he considers his “hometown” once a year because he’s been under contract to play his infectious brand of jazz piano in Taipei, Taiwan, for the last six years.
A jazz man’s jazz man before his Taipei residency, West, a consummate maestro and one of the coolest cats on the planet, has lived and worked in five-star resorts and jazz clubs abroad for the last 30 years, including Shanghai, Tokyo, Morocco, Dubai and Holland.
West’s last two albums, “Leimert Park After Dark” (2021) and “Big Trippin’” (2023) landed on the Top 20 jazz charts. His latest album, “Requiem for Mary Turner,” is expected to drop later this year.
I recently spoke to West from his home in Taipei, Taiwan, at 3:30 a.m. The early morning hour didn’t bother West, a preeminent jazz pianist who is used to late/early hours.
DD: You are performing for one night at the World Stage Jan. 10. Why only one night?
BW: I don’t know. I was told we get a one-hour set. I’ll just be getting warmed up. I’m economizing my playlist. One hour is difficult for me to do, but I love playing at that venue.
DD: You’re also playing in Ventura. Where?
B.W.: Yes. It’s a place I discovered in 2016. At the time, it was called the Squashed Grape. Now it’s called the Grape. I’m playing there Jan. 18. I’ll be reuniting with some wonderful folks out there. I’m also doing a private party in Topanga Canyon while I’m home. I have to get back here [Taipei] in one month. I have to get back here by Feb. 10. I miss Los Angeles a lot. It’s the place where I was educated. It’s the place where my cultural breeding took place. I grew up as a jazz lover, jazz enthusiast, composer and musician. I’ve been bouncing around the world for 30 years. L.A. is still home for me. I was born into the person I am now.
DD: Talk about the other two-thirds of the Bobby West Trio — Roy McCurdy and Kevin O’Neal.
BW: In many ways, they are so similar, and in other ways, they each stand out. Kevin [O’Neal] has been my soul brother for 40 years. He was part of the BusBoys in the 70s. He’s an ultra-talented guy. He’s thorough about whatever he does. This guy executes the acoustic bass more profoundly and accurately than any bass player I have worked with. He’s a dear friend. We’ve seen each other through a lot. I was fortunate to get him.
Roy McCurdy famously worked with Cannonball Adderley. He played on his hits. When I did the opening of the World Stage in 2020, McCurdy played with me. He is royalty. He’s an elder statesman who is held in high regard worldwide. I’m pleased that he likes what I do. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy. When I first met him, I was in fanboy mode. I was young. I asked him if he minded if I put him on my resume. That was a stupid question. He said, ‘I’ll tell you later.’
DD: What can the audience expect when you play the World Stage?
BW: I tell people all the time I’m trying my best. Whenever you see me perform live, I’m never on cruise control or autopilot. What you hear is me at my top level. I still have to do my best when doing these musical offerings. I will never give 94%. When you’re working with McCurdy… I’m a jazz nerd. He is a walking institution. I finally got over being a fanboy. I’m spellbound, working with my heroes. I will give it everything I have. Kevin is one of the most musical minds I know. He’s scholarly, very versatile and knowledgeable. He is articulate and always in tune. He understands his instrument. I’m expecting the show to be interesting.
DD: What’s it like to play when you come home to South Central?
BW: I don’t feel at home until I play the World Stage. I was playing with Billy Higgins when he opened the place in 1985. When I work in front of people from different parts of the world, only a tiny percentage of the people understand what I’m doing. There is nothing like playing jazz for your people and your community. They know what you’re trying to say through your music. There is nothing like that rush once you know you are successfully communicating with somebody. I can only get that feeling in South Central. I need to do this. There’s nothing like hearing your people go, ‘Yeah.’
DD: Six years in Taipei. Was that your plan?
BW: I never meant it to be that long. There is zero crime here. The people seem to be all in place. People are settled in. They are warm. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been here this long. I had only planned to be here for a couple of years, but then COVID happened.
DD: Where are you playing in Taipei?
BW: Smith & Wollensky. I’ve been playing there since Dec. 18, 2018.
DD: You’ve been at this jazz thing a long time.
BW: Yes, I have. I’m turning 69 on June 4. I can’t believe that. I don’t feel like I’ve been on the planet for 69 years. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel like. I feel like I could be 39. I’m in better shape at 68 than I was at 28.
DD: Why do you say that?
BW: On Oct. 7, 1984, it was my grandma’s birthday. That’s the day I decided to stop drinking. It will be 40 years since I stopped drinking.
DD: That must be hard since you work in nightclubs where they are serving liquor.
BW: It doesn’t matter to me at all. My mind is made up. I was done with drinking on Oct. 7, 1984 — no wine with dinner, no beer with pizza. I wasn’t a falling-out drunk. One day I woke up and something whispered that drinking alcohol was over.
DD: Do you get lonely in Taipei?
BW: I don’t get lonely. I appreciate my own company.
DD: Talk about life away from home.
BW: I have a residence visa card. I have become Taiwanese and absorbed the culture. I moved into the hotel and the country. I miss Los Angeles. There is no place like home.
Bobby West Trio at the World Stage, 4321 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park, Jan. 10. Tickets are $20. Information: 310 415-0143, theworldstage.org.
The Grape, 2733 E. Main St., Ventura, Jan. 18. Tickets are $20-$30. Information: 805 212-6130, thegrapeventura.com.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
