80 BASS MAGAZINE ; ISSUE 4 ; bassmagazine.com
F
ollowing the dissolution of pioneer-
ing fusion band Dixie Dregs in the
early 1980s, Andy West, the group’s
co-founding bassist, found himself at
a fork in the road. In a novel twist, he walked
down both paths simultaneously, carving out
a successful career as a software developer
while continuing to record and perform with
a host of diverse musicians, including Mike
Keneally, Vinnie Moore, and Henry Kaiser.
West has also released sides with his own
groups, Zazen, FWAP, and Rama1. Recently,
the Arizona native teamed up with compos-
er/arranger Craig Pallett to release a five-
track mini-album, Zen Walk. Andy picks up
the story: “I’ve known Craig for going on 25
years now. A long time ago, I played on his
album YNOT, and we’ve always stayed in
touch. When he asked me to do something on
another of his projects recently, I suggested
we do an album together.”
The resulting download-only album is a
meticulously crafted, synth-friendly offering,
often evoking such electronica icons as Tan-
gerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre — but
with West’s expert hands on the low-end til-
ler. “The music is really designed for you to
close your eyes and listen, and see where it
takes you,” he says. “It’s not so much about
nodding your head into a groove; it’s more
like putting your mind into a space.”We’ve transcribed the title track, “Zen
Walk,” a seven-minute number that unfolds
slowly through nuanced repetition, multilay-
ered instrumentation, and detailed arrange-
ment. “I don’t even know what style you’d
call it, but it certainly isn’t anything that’s su-
per-fashionable,” says Andy. “There’s a lot of
synth, orchestration, and live playing as well.
It’s kind of weird,” he laughs.
To record his part, West played an or-
der-made Geoff Gould 6-string fitted with EMG
pickups and La Bella Limited Edition Super
Polished Pure Nickel strings, which he plucked
with a .71mm Gator Grip pick. He plugged
into a Behringer audio interface and recorded
directly into Logic Pro on a 2008 Mac Pro. “I
never use an amp. I always go direct and use
plugins to adjust the tone. I just don’t see a rea-
son to record with amps anymore.” (Note: Al-
though Andy played his part on a 6-string bass,
we’ve tabbed the part for a 5.)
Interestingly, West initially composed
his part sitting in front of the computer with-
out a bass. He explains: “If I’m sitting at the
computer and it’s a bunch of chords I don’t
know, I’ll hear a line in my head and then put
that into the computer to hear what it sounds
like. It’s usually a very keyboard-like line, so
when I start to play it, it feels weird under my
fingers. But I need to make it more like a bass
line, and that’s when it starts to morph intoAndy West & Craig
Pallett, Zen Walk
[2019]Complete Transcription
MUSIC OF
HIS MIND
Andy West’s “Zen Walk”
By Stevie Glasgow