San Francisco singer Paula West is timeless and her music

Paula West leaned into the microphone and seemed to reach deep into some inner well of the song as she sang the line “I could be another Lincoln if I only had brains,” the plaintiff’s melody performed by Harold Arlen from The Wizard of the Country Oz.”

Far from a scarecrow version, West’s interpretation squeezed all the melancholy and desperation out of the melody, a skill she skillfully applied to many hackneyed songs in her singing career that spanned three decades.

“Good music stays with us and is open to different interpretations,” West said as she sat in the lobby of the Nikko Hotel, where she plays a series of concerts at Feinstein’s from Feb. 10 through Valentine’s Day.

As a frequent musical champion of the Great American Songbook standards, West is also known for diving deep into the catalogs of Bob Dylan and The Beatles among other song purveyors. Her versions are filled with a smoky voice and a gift for concretizing the emotions behind the words, which she used in concerts between San Francisco and New York – in some of the most revered rooms and halls of these cities.

West didn’t even find her voice until she was in her 20s, and even then she considered it a creative outlet, perhaps only entertaining friends and family once or twice a year.

“And then it became a passion,” she said.

San Francisco-based singer Paula West is known for performing the standards of the Great American Songbook and interpreting songs by Bob Dylan and The Beatles.

West was born at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California to a United States Marine. She played the clarinet in the school band, but left when she didn’t think it was cool. She moved to San Francisco in 1988, attracted by its creative spirit and leftist politics. For over two decades, she worked as a waitress in the city until her interest in singing began to crowd out her day job.

“So it’s time to stop serving tables,” West said, “and try to make more time for professional work.”

When West first dipped into the musical waters of San Francisco, most hotel bars had pianos, often with jazz trios. Five nights a week she sang in hotels, bars and restaurants, gradually honing her skills. The rooms got bigger and the gigs took her between the East and West coasts, backed by some of the city’s top jazz musicians like longtime collaborator pianist Eric Reid. Her career has taken her to jazz temples such as New York’s Lincoln Center and SF Jazz.

Like all musicians, West’s career came to a standstill in 2020 when the pandemic abruptly closed live music gatherings and several live performances moved online. Instead of the sparkly dresses she wore on stage, West wore pajamas all day long.

“I wasn’t going out,” West laughed, “it’s time to put on my five o’clock pajamas.”

A series of live concerts at the Art Society of St. Joseph — a project by decorator Ken Fulk in a renovated San Francisco church — kept her spirits and finances up.

“We subsequently did three live broadcasts at his house and literally saved my ass,” she said.

San Francisco-based singer Paula West is known for performing the standards of the Great American Songbook and interpreting songs by Bob Dylan and The Beatles.

Unlike the early days of her singing, most San Francisco hotels no longer have pianos, and there are fewer concerts. West mourns some of the lost creative spirit in her adopted city.

“I think we’ve lost some reverence for the past here as far as some institutions are concerned,” West said, referring to the ongoing battle over Another Planet Entertainment’s proposal to remove seats from the historic Castro Theater for concerts. “You must have some reverence for some of the things we’ve had in the past.”

West isn’t an artist who keeps her views and politics behind the scenes – she’s a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party and doesn’t hesitate to use her platform to attack conservative politicians – even if it means alienating some fans.

“This is very important to me and I can’t help but watch it and speak out when I can,” she said. “There is no golden mean when it comes to racism, bigotry and homophobia.”

During her concerts at St. Joseph’s Church, West paid tribute to young black men affected by police brutality. As an African-American, West recalls being followed at grocery stores as a child, and even in San Francisco, she still feels the influence of her skin color.

“You are walking down the street, someone is driving in a car, and all of a sudden you hear a lock slam,” West said.

When West performs at the Nikko Hotel this weekend, a certain Dylan will be hanging out in the green room – her dog Dylan, named, of course, after another famous composer whose songs West loves to sing.

“He’s cute,” West said, referring to her dog.

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