A concert for non-fans of holiday music

Plenty of Bay Area performers have made annual holiday shows something of a tradition. But for veteran San Francisco jazz singer Paula West, this year’s Christmas-themed performance at SFJazz Center will be a first.

“This is a new thing,” she told The Chronicle from her home in Nob Hill. “I’ve never done any holiday shows.”

There’s a good reason, too. West considers herself more spiritual than religious and said she doesn’t care much for pious themes running through seasonal songs and isn’t exactly a big fan of popular

Christmas music, either.

“It kind of annoys me,”

West said, adding that she plans on throwing in a few of her signature Bob Dylan covers into the set list for her concert scheduled to take place inside the Robert N. Miner Auditorium on Dec. 4.

But she’s not a total Grinch. West, 63, who for years has performed at an annual Valentine’s Day show at Feinstein’s at the Hotel Nikko, said there are a handful of classic holiday LPs in her collection, including titles by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, even Run DMC.

“I’m all over the place,” she said, with her 2-year-old dog, Dylan, snoring at her feet. “I have very diverse tastes.”

She’s leaving the arrangements

Paula West: 7 p.m. Dec. 4. $30-$70. SFJazz Center’s Robert N. Miner Auditorium, 201 Franklin St., S.F. www.sfjazz.org

for the upcoming concert in the hands of pianist Adam Shulman and pianist and composer Eric Reed, who will accompany West with his band. The singer anticipates putting her own spin on songs like “Santa Baby,” “Winter Wonderland” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

“I have no idea what it’s going to sound like until we are all together,” the singer said, with a chuckle. “That’s what makes it exciting.”

After suffering some health

problems at the start of the year and a COVID-19 infection, from which she has since recovered, West plans to do it up this season by hitting the holiday party circuit.

“I’m going to go to some parties and things and hopefully go see some other people perform,” she said. “Now I just need to figure out what I’m going to wear.”

Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicle’s pop music critic. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MusicSF

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Jazz and cabaret singer Paula West will perform her first-ever holiday show at the SFJazz Center this year. She admits to not being a big fan of popular Christmas music but said she does have a handful of classic holiday LPs in her collection.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle 2017 West, pictured at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, is looking forward to the holiday party circuit after health issues early in the year.