Masterfully navigating the waters between jazz and cabaret, vocalist Paula West is arguably one of the finest jazz vocalists to emerge in the past decade. Often compared to Billie Holiday and Lena Horne, West's voice moves easily from her familiar luscious contralto to a strong midrange soprano. From the Plush Room in San Francisco to the Oak Room in New York, the San Francisco-based chanteuse delights audiences with her diverse repertoire, which includes her trademark song "The Snake," inspired by the Oscar Brown fable about caring women and the reptiles they attract. Putting a personal spin on every performance, West also lends her signature style to songs from Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, and many others.