Paul West and Bethune Big Band

Bassist, Paul E. West was born January 28, 1934 in Harlem, New York. He began his studies in violin at the age of six, studying with Albert Polnarioff until the age of nineteen. He was a graduate of the High School of Music and Art in New York City, and of Wagner College in Staten Island, New York, where he received his B.A. in music. In 1954 he changed his instrument from Violin to Bass Violin.