James Robert West of Baton Rouge, retired professor of trumpet in the LSU School of Music, passed away suddenly on June 16, 2021 at Jefferson Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Jim is preceded in death by his mother and stepfather Julie and Michael Emrick, his father, Sigmund Westbowski, uncle John Misecko and aunt Ann Frechette. He is survived by his wife Annette, daughter Kathryn and cousins Linda (Mike Hendershot), Frechette of Franklin, IN, and Alan Frechette of Cedar Lake, IN and numerous second cousins. Jim was born in East Chicago, IN, in 1946. He began teaching trumpet at Arkansas Polytechnic College in the fall of 1969 after graduating from the American Conservatory of Music with degrees in both music education and applied music. Jim also taught at the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College. His teachers include Reynold Schilke, Charles Geyer, Vincent Chichowicz and Adolph Herseth. Performing credits include Principal trumpet with the Fort Smith Symphony, the New Hampshire Symphony, the New Hampshire Philharmonic, the Vermont Symphony, the Portland (ME) Symphony the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Louisiana Symphonietta. The bulk of his teaching career was spent at Louisiana State University. There he taught trumpet for 35 years and was principal trumpet of the Baton Rouge Symphony for 36 years. To this day, he is still known for the sweet sound of his instrument, which his students call ‘The West Sound’. His former students are in top orchestras, military bands, and work as successful soloists and continue his legacy of teaching in institutions around the country. He was always looking for ways to improve his and his students’ performance. He was very well read on a variety of different subjects, was a lifelong student of the trumpet and approached playing and teaching from a philosophical perspective.
Jim was in the forefront of the technology of music sequencing and electronics beginning in the late 80’s. He gave clinics and workshops in the Vivace music accompaniment system which eventually was became SmartMusic. He was an active member of the International Trumpet Guild, traveled to Thailand in 2005 to present, and was the conference chairperson for the 1991 meeting of the International Trumpet Guild held at LSU. He was known for the Polish sausage and sauerkraut dinners he would often throw for his students, and spent many Sunday afternoons playing fantasy board games with his friends and colleagues. For many years, Jim and his wife, Annette, taught at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, where his daughter Kathryn made the Michigan woods her playground. Interment will be in Hammond, IN where his parents are buried. Please consider making a donation in his name to the LSU School of Music Scholarship Fund. LSUFoundation.org/west
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18