James Westfall is a Houston native and graduate of HSPVA. After graduation he relocated to New Orleans, where he attended The University of New Orleans. There, he performed with and was mentored by renowned musicians like Harold Battiste, Ellis Marsalis, and Steve Masakowski. Early in his career, he performed at the Kennedy Center as part of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, he became the first vibraphonist accepted by The Thelonious Monk Institute, where he performed with celebrated artists including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Garrett, and Clark Terry at notable venues like the Tokyo Jazz Festival, Blue Note, and Blues Alley.
In 2007, while living in New York, Westfall co-founded ‘The Wee Trio’ (theweetrio.com), which performs across the country at venues like The Green Mill, Birdland, and Yoshi’s, and at major festivals such as The New Orleans & Heritage Jazz Festival and the Rochester Jazz Festival. The Boston Globe praised their debut album as a “winning debut.” While living in New York Westfall also gained sideman experience with artists like Nicholas Payton, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris Potter, John Ellis, and Gretchen Parlato. Westfall later relocated to Nashville to explore other genres, recording on over 45 albums and touring with Grammy winner BJ Thomas, Steelism, and Kristin Diable. He continues to perform and record with The Wee Trio, whose recent album features Fabian Almazan, Nir Felder, and Nicholas Payton.
Westfall is also a dedicated music educator, having taught as an adjunct instructor at The University of Southern Mississippi, The University of New Orleans, and Nashville State Community College to name a few. He is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at Kinder HSPVA in Houston, TX.
Come meet James and his students at DocFest on December 21st.
Tickets to DocFest Holiday Concert will be on sale September 1st at DocFestjazz.org.
DocFest Houston 