Phil West picked up a trumpet at age ten and never put it down. Growing up in the rural south with country music at its core, it seemed like the last place one would find the origins of a talented jazz trumpet player, but fortunately his father shared his love of music and a formidable collection of Blue Note records. The sounds of Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass were often heard coming from the Hi-Fi at home while West worked tirelessly to master his instrument, and soon he started winning awards and getting scholarship offers.     

In 1988 he left his small-town life behind and moved to Atlanta. West enrolled at Southern Polytechnic State University and soon was named Director of the University Jazz Ensemble while completing a degree in Electronic Engineering. At the same time, he was named principal soloist of the Marietta Big Band where he honed his stage presence in front of an even larger audience.  

He recorded his first solo CD, Phil West – Samples of the Soul and formed the band Due West in 1999.  Soon there were television appearances including The Atlanta Jazz and Blues Show on MediaOne and in 2001 the band performed at the Concert2Cure benefit concert in Atlanta in front of a sellout crowd.

Never satisfied with the status quo, in 2007, West began to challenge his purist ideals and incorporate his own unique style of funk and fusion into his performances. He then made the momentous decision to make the flugelhorn his primary instrument. It’s no secret that jazz legends Art Farmer, Clark Terry or even Miles Davis played the flugelhorn often to exploit the flugelhorn's softer, darker, and mellower sound.

Phil West has continued to champion the Atlanta jazz music scene, and in 2009 he hosted the first of many popular open-mic jazz events in Atlanta, including a weekly session at the legendary Café 290.  He then created a new group, The Phil West Project which performed again on The Atlanta Jazz and Blues TV show in 2014.  

Over the years he has performed with jazz legends including Freddy Cole, Duffy Jackson, Shorty Rogers, Steve Ellington, Willy Thomas, Jerry Byrd, Jamey Abersold, Bill Watrous, Johnny Knapp, and Jencarlos Canela. He has been featured on various CD projects, soundtracks, and TV commercials.

Today he remains active in the jazz music scene in Atlanta and performs regularly at jazz, R&B and blues venues while also spending time in the studio.