This February, the Paciorek family was far from its Greenfield Center home on vacation in the Bahamas when then-11-year-old Wes spotted a hotel piano.
The dusty instrument was terribly out of tune. That didn’t stop the gifted pianist and singer, who’ll be a 7th grader at Maple Avenue Middle School. He began to play and a crowd began to gather.
“He turned the place into a huge party,” recalls his father, Jesse. “We were like, ‘Wow, he’s really got something here.’”
Wes Jackson—he uses his middle name for his stage name—had gone international. Hotel guests and Bahamians saw the precocious talent that has been displayed in Saratoga the last couple of summer racing seasons. Wes is a regular at Kings Tavern and The Bunker and pops up on Broadway when roadie parents Lisa and Jesse can help with his equipment.
“It makes me happy to perform and make other people happy,” says Wes, who turned 12 in March. “It’s my passion. It’s fun to be able to play for other people and share the love.”
Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” make regular appearances on Wes’ setlist. “Don’t Stop Believin’” is especially apt, given the musician’s plans for the future.
“I want to take it the whole nine yards,” he says of his musical aspirations. “I want to be in Hollywood. I want to be a professional musician. That’s what I want for my career. That’s what I want for my life.”
Wes is largely self-taught. He learned the basics when he was 8 by using the app Simply Piano. He’s also gifted with perfect pitch, the ability to create a specific musical note without requiring an external reference.
Jay Fitch, owner of Kings Tavern, was skeptical when he first heard of the talent whose voice has yet to change. “The kid comes over and he ends up being really good,” he says. “To see him grow in the last couple of years as an artist has been pretty cool.”
On busy nights, Wes has customers singing and dancing at The Bunker. “The crowd is wowed,” General Manager Brandon Bertrand says. “They’re astonished at the talent.”
This summer, you can catch the rising star at The Bunker on July 15 and August 6 from 7–9pm, and at Kings Tavern on July 18 and August 15 from 2–4pm.
