Forrest Westbrook
Pianist Forrest Westbrook (1927-2014) has remained under the radar for years, not only for most jazz fans, but also for critics and many of his peers. Leslie Westbrook, Forrest’s eldest daughter, had this to say about his lack of fame: “My father was very modest, never promoted himself, and was very reluctant to record.”
He was born in Los Angeles, California on August 29, 1927. He grew up in the small town ofNuevo, California where he attended Nuevo Elementary School and Perris Valley High School. He studied the piano from the age of seven and had a natural musical talent inherited from his mother, Flossie Jolly Westbrook, who played the piano and sang in church choirs. Forrest, a World War II veteran, enlisted in theU.S. Army in September 1946, and was stationed in Unoccupied Japan where he was assigned to the guard tower. He also played drums, saxophone and piano in the U.S. Army...
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