| Brodie West | |
| Birth Place: | Saskatoon, Sask., CANADA |
| Genre: | Avant-garde jazz, free jazz, experimental |
| Occupation: | Musician |
| Instrument: | Alto saxophone, clarinet,[1] |
| Associated Acts: | The Ex |
Brodie West is a Canadian alto saxophonist who has worked with The Ex,[1] Getatchew Mekuria,[1] Sandro Perri,[2] Lina Allemano,[2] Hamid Drake[3] and Gord Downie.[2]
Born in 1975 and raised in Nanaimo, British Columbia,[4] West began playing saxophone in the sixth grade.[4] In his teens, West began performing as well as attending educational programs which led to being awarded a soprano saxophone at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Idaho, and receiving the Rising Star Award at Musicfest Canada, which included a full scholarship to Humber College in Toronto in 1993.[4]
In 1998, West formed a trio called Zebradonk with drummer Shawn Abedin and trumpeter Alfons Fear.[4] Deciding to do a busking tour of Europe, the trio met Han Bennink at Bimhuis in Amsterdam.[4]
West began studying with Misha Mengelberg in Amsterdam[2] and while there he reconnected with Han Bennink who introduced West to Terrie Hessels of the Dutch experimental band The Ex.[4] West then began touring with The Ex playing over 100 dates between 2005 and 2015.[2] He appeared with The Ex and Getatchew Mekurya on the albums Moa Anbessa,[5] Y'Anbessaw Tezeta,[6] and The Ex at Bimhuis.[7]
West has since formed The Brodie West Quintet which has released the album Clips[8] and Eucalyptus[4] which released the album Kick It Till You Flip It in 2019.[9]