Gloria West & The Gents

A polished old school jazz band with the ability to change the feel and flavor to fit the event!

Gloria West is back in her hometown of Tampa Bay! She and her musician hubby moved back down from Virginia over the summer just in time to welcome their baby boy, little Mr. Nehemiah Thomas! Gloria is currently dipping her mermaid tail back into the performing waters all around Tampa Bay via weddings, private parties, and even some public shows!
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Miss West was a new transplant on the Key West music scene for 1 year until July 2023 and adapted her signature sound to the island in the form of “old school jazz with an island twist!” While living on the island, West added in a Latin, flowy flavor to her favorite old jazz songs from the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s, even mixing in some operatic scatting. In February, she won “Rising Star” at the 2023 Key West Iggies Music Awards and began working on a side project involving her ukulele and mermaid tail! Before moving down to Key West in July of 2022, and also before unsuccessfully attempting to retire from music in 2021, Gloria West and The Gents brought old school stride-swing jazz with a sultry twist to stages across her hometown of Tampa Bay, including The Clearwater Jazz Holiday, The St. Pete Coliseum, The Palladium St. Pete, and The Tampa Theatre.
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From classic mid-tempo swing numbers to sultry torch songs on the edge of the blues, West’s fast-paced energy and ‘killer vocals’ are guaranteed to get anyone’s foot tapping. Creative Loafing said about West, “One of the most dynamic voices working in the [Tampa] Bay area.” Her acclaimed group performed throughout the Tampa Bay area beginning in 2014 and was described as “pure, tight, sensual artistry”. Gloria West and The Gents performed “stunning originals” with Ms. West delivering a “star-powered voice” with “vocals reminiscent of Lady Day”. They delivered originals, pop covers, favorites from the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, and even old-time movie classics and Disney songs, all with an old jazz feel. Gloria had been compared to Norah Jones and Billie Holiday with the lighthearted fun of “Mrs. Swing” Mildred Bailey added in.
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West’s mission is to create and share #JazzForTheMasses and to spread her love of jazz to everyone, making it #TheJazzHeardRoundTheWorld. That includes introducing brand new audiences to old jazz. West says: “I want to create jazz in an accessible way where everyone can understand and appreciate it’s broad appeal.”
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Gloria West and The Gents released their debut album “Dem Keys” on CD in 2017 to rave local reviews. In December 2018, they released it as a deluxe edition with three bonus songs on a Collector’s Edition Red Vinyl Record and cd. It is also available on all major platforms for streaming and downloading and is currently making its way around the world. The project was fully fan-funded and recorded in Tampa Bay with top-notch local musicians and is comprised of original songs as well as old jazz and pop covers with their distinct vintage spin.