The J. Wes Project “Mystery of Love”

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Ron DiSilvestro at Forge Recording.

Bruthas, that’s my Sh*t!”  One of the more memorable fan quotes the J. Wes Project received, referring to the first cut on their debut cd “The Mystery of Love”.  Created by songwriter/keyboardist/producer Jonathan West, JWP’s Jazz/Funk and R&B sound is somewhat reminiscent of vintage Incognito, Kirk Whalum, Grover W. and P-Funk (checkout Keep it together!) with a few twists.

 An adopted son of Philadelphia PA., Jonathan first formed the band in 2010 as an oldies cover band with a group of locally talented musicians who performed at local clubs and private parties. “I used the early years to educate myself on the many facets of the business” he adds, “and to make as many mistakes as possible!”

Following a performance for the annual Caribbean Festival at Penn’s Landing (Philadelphia PA.) in the summer of 2013, JWP embarked on recording  their  first cd containing several of Jonathan’s original tracks and one each by lead singer Missy Murray (Thinking of you) and percussionist Darien P. Ebo (In your eyes). The cd itself pays tribute to many of the band’s influences. From the funky finger poppin’ groove of “Bruthas”,  to the soulful “Thinking of you”,  smoothed out with the afterglow of “Mystery”  and the ladies favorite “Dreamer”  “What we enjoy most about making music is the privilege of sharing our souls with a live audience and if we’re lucky  watching them do the same with us!

Band:

William Stewart – Bass

Kenneth Brooks – Drums

Darien P. Ebo – Percussion

Jeff Rivers – Guitars

Kenneth Sykes – Flute, Soprano and Alto saxophones

Shana Walker – Lead vocal on “Thinking of You”

Katrina Paterson – Lead vocal on “In Your Eyes” & background vocals on “Thinking of You”

Maria Tucker – Background vocal

Skye – England – Background vocal

Millicent “Missy” Stephens – Background vocal

Jonathan L. West – Piano, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes, string arrangements

Special guest: Greg Rosen – Trumpet on “Brothas,” “Next Move” and “The Mystery of Love”.

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