The Granada Building is one of the glowing examples of North
Park's success of becoming a revitalized community by utilizing it's strongest
asset: its splendid architectural past. In an entertaining web page called "The
North Park Magical History Tour," Scott A. Shepard of the North Park Main
Street Association described the edifice, located at the corner of 30th Street
and Granada Avenue, as a "mixed commercial building, constructed during the
heart of the craftsman period."
Handsome
marble stairs lead to several offices. Behind one of the doors, the gentle
sounds of a piano is heard. The door opens, and instead of a seeing a piano
student, the visitor is warmly greeted by the musician who is the interviewee
for this story: flutist Lori Bell. That Bell is clearly so versatile behind the
keys is not a surprise when her family background and musical training are
taken into account. Whether she is in formal attire in a classical music setting
or dressed in more casual clothes for an outdoor jazz gig, Lori Bell remains
steadfastly devoted to her music.
Originally
from the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, Bell can comfortably be classified
as a San Diegan, as she moved out to Southern California with her family when
she was 10. She didn't need to go far to find her first mentors: they were her
parents, Norman and May Bell.
"My father
was an extraordinary trumpet player," said Bell. "He worked professionally his
whole career as a big band lead trumpet player in New York City. He actually
left home around age 17 and moved to New York to start working. He played in
many known bands at the time - Al Donahue, Tommy Ryan, Mel Lewis, and Thad
Jones, and worked for a while with Carmen McRae. My mother played the accordion
and had an excellent ear."
Lori
recalled playing as early as four "on the four-string guitar, which my father
taught me - my first songs were "Girl From Ipanema" and "Corcovado." I switched
to the six-string at around age 12 - at that time I was a very serious string
player - but switched to flute at age 16....which rocked my entire world. It
was sort of like seeing stars and hearing bells - knowing that you just found
your calling in life. I also started piano around age 20 and work
professionally on that instrument as well."
Since Lori
performs in both jazz and classical music settings, how does preparation and
execution differ between the two?
"The
challenges in jazz are many," Bell revealed. "First, you have to be technically
proficient on your instrument - that's where classical music comes in handy.
Second, there is an enormous amount of theory. Every chord in jazz has the
potential to extend up to the 13th, which throws you into another key in the
upper extensions of the chord. Also, there is a plethora of different scales
and patterns that you need to be fluent in all 12 keys. Then there is the
dominant 7th chord, the animal that usually has alterations in jazz, such as
the flat9 / sharp11th / sharp5 / sharp9. This opens up another can of theory
worms. Third, once the theory becomes second nature, your improvising has to be
developed in order for spontaneity to happen coming from a completely creative
and honest place - with of course a signature style and sound. It's an all
consuming, life-dedicating art form.
"As far as
classical music goes, when I first started studying flute, classical technique
and repertoire came up very quickly. My first teacher, Fredrick Baker [at the
time he played principal with the San Diego Symphony] was a very hard teacher,
who insisted I practice orchestral excerpts, etudes, and repertoire. I did that
for a while but always wanted to play jazz and study improvising. So I
continued to play chamber music alongside my jazz studies until about seven
years ago when I started taking a closer look at the flute and piano
repertoire. Wanting more of a technical challenge, I went back to New York to
study with my hero, Judith Mendenhall, and decided I wanted to start giving
classical recitals and tackling pieces by composers such as Aaron Copland,
Robert Muczynski, Hindemith, Schulhoff, Burton, and on and on.
Bell said
she "only started to give classical recitals five years ago. I've been a jazz
musician my whole career."
And what
happens when the lights are dimmed and it's time to kick the performance mode
into high gear? "The challenges are technical perfection and the ability to
sound spontaneous, relaxed and musical on stage - and to connect with the
audience," said Bell.
After her
finding her career path with the flute at 16, she got her first residency at
18, "a gig that I held for nine years until the venue closed. It was called the
Prophet and it was an international vegetarian restaurant. I played in the most
exquisite lobby with a stage and piano." The Prophet was a landmark in City
Heights, located in the 4400 block of University Avenue. A restaurant and
entertainment center, the Prophet drew health food advocates Gloria Swanson and
George Harrison. It was a labor of love for owner Makeda Dread Cheatom, who
remains a vital force on the San Diego music scene for her support of world
music.
Along with
saxophonist Joe Marillo (profiled in the San Diego Troubadour, June 2010), the
late pianist Shep Meyers brought an East Coast charisma and energy to the San
Diego jazz scene. Meyer's portfolio - collaborations with Woody Herman, Anita
O'Day, Julie London, Billy Daniels, Terry Gibbs and many others - spoke volumes
about jazz in America during the last 50 years. He was an important mentor to
Bell in the early phase of her career.
"I had the
good fortune of meeting Shep Meyers when I was 19," Bell recalled. "We were
introduced by the Musicians Union to play a gig sponsored by CETA, a government
organization that funded us to play 28 gigs a month in schools, elementary
through high, to demonstrate and talk about jazz. I did this for two years with
Shep and three other band members: bassist John Leftwich, drummer Scott Elam,
and vocalist Kevyn Lettau." Leftwich has played on sessions with Chet Baker,
Hubert Laws, and Carmen McRae; Scott Elam, described in the March 2007
Troubadour issue as a "San Carlos ‘funkster,'" has kept the beat in a variety
of genres; and the Berlin-born Lettau has emerged as an internationally
renowned Brazilian singer.
Bell described
Shepard as "a wonderful jazz pianist and an experienced composer and arranger
who had just moved to San Diego from New York where he previously worked with
Larry Rosen and Dave Grus in GRP...Grusin Rosen Productions, which back in the
'80s was a major record company in New York. Shep did a lot of scoring and
arranging for GRP and many other writing projects for radio and TV. He was a
mentor and an inspiration to me as an up-and-coming composer and arranger. His
writing style inspired two original compositions of mine - "Zara" and
"Children's Samba" - two children's songs I recorded in 1989 for the Discovery
label. Shep was a very dear friend and is deeply missed by the whole San Diego
community; it was a big loss."
After
Meyers' death in 2009, the Shep Meyers Music for Literacy Fund was established.
Over $5,000 has been raised toward the Oak Park Elementary School in San Diego.
For many years, educators have seen a connection between a musically active
child and an increase in math, writing, and reading scores. Hence, the title of
the fund.
It wasn't
long before Bell's talent was acknowledged by the dean of West Coast jazz
journalists, Leonard Feather of the Los Angeles Times. A soft-spoken
Englishman, he only gave praise when it was deserved. He was effusive in his
accolades for Bell. "Of course I was blown away with the review from Leonard
Feather! He gave my first recording, Love Will Win, 4 1/2 stars in the L.A.
Times; truly unbelievable," said Bell.
The great
merit of a positive Feather review wasn't lost on the National Academy of
Recorded Arts and Sciences, which has gone on to acknowledge Bell and her
musical collaborators over the years. The first CD in the initial Grammy ballot
nominations was Love Will Win with
pianist Dave MacKay and bassist Andy Simpkins, with the nomination coming in
the category Best New Artist. The CD would be the first of many projects
featuring Bell and MacKay. Comfortable in both bebop and bossa nova, MacKay is
the link to storied bebop greats Art Tatum, Bud Powell, and Bill Evans as well
as the seductive Latin rhythms of Jolio Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and
Luis Eca. MacKay's blindness did not deter him academically, as he attended
Trinity College in Connecticut, Boston University, and several prestigious
music programs. MacKay might one day wish to complete an autobiography, as his
performance resume reads like a who's who of jazz: Joe Pass, Chet Baker, Shelly
Manne, and Bobby Hackett are among the famous names who have shared a concert
stage with the 78-year-old MacKay. Bell and MacKay have collaborated on several
albums. Take Me to Brazil was an 1988
release that featured Bob Magnusson on bass, Duncan Moore behind the drums,
John Pisano on guitar, and Melissa MacKay as the vocalist. An original member
of the Three Sounds, Simpkins was a consummate professional who played with
Sarah Vaughn and George Shearing.
The second
CD to receive initial Grammy ballot nominations was the CD Interplay. It was also the name of a group that featured Bell,
MacKay, and guitarist/vocalist Ron Satterfield, who later performed with the
renowned band Checkfield. The categories were in Best Jazz Instrumental
Performance of a Group (Interplay); Best Jazz Instrumental Solo - Lori Bell
("It's Just Talk"); Best Instrumental Composition - Dave McKay ("Joyful"); Best
Instrumental Solo - Dave MacKay ("Joyful").
Bell's
third CD to receive Grammy nominations was her first solo album, Lori Bell. This CD appeared on the
initial Grammy Ballot under the following categories: Best New Artist (Lori Bell);
Best Instrumental Composition ("A Heart Is But a Flower"), Best Instrumental
Arrangement ("Equinox"), Best Jazz Instrumental Solo ("Cartagena"); Best
Contemporary Jazz Album.
The San
Diego Music Awards, scheduled for September 10, finds Bell's current Resonance
Records CD, The Music of Djavan,
nominated for Best Jazz Album of the Year. The album is a tribute to the gifted
Brazilian artist and composer, Djavan Caetano Vina.
When asked
to comment on the current state of San Diego's jazz scene, Bell's opinions seem
to echo sentiments made by veteran musicians on the local circuit. ["It's] Sort
of dim," said Bell. "There aren't nearly as many venues as there were 20 years
ago. However, I believe it's the same all over the U.S....not enough jazz
venues."
Perhaps one
way to reverse the trend is to introduce the younger generation to music. Bell
is doing her part. "Last year I coached at Skyline Elementary in Solana Beach
and really enjoyed working with the kids there. I think I might do it again
this fall."
Another
educational outlet is a presentation called "From Bach to Bebop. It could also
be called "From Johann Sebastian to ‘Diz.'" The music begins on a refined note
until the tempo, as you can imagine, starts to pick up. "My Bach to Bebop
program features classical music for the first half [usually beginning with a
piece by Bach], followed by a jazz set [usually ending with a bebop tune],"
Bell explained. "I usually do a little talking with the audience as well
describing the different musical styles."
Bell's
concert itinerary for the fall season will allow music lovers the opportunity
to see her at a variety of venues in Riverside and San Diego Counties. The
Labor Day holiday weekend will commence with an early - and memorable - start
when Bell teams up with MacKay at the Merc nightclub in Old Town Temecula on
Thursday, Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. Affectionately called ‘the Merc" by locals, the
concert venue is part of the historic mercantile building, one of the oldest
structures in the vicinity and a splendid architectural example of what life
was like in Temecula prior to the housing boom.
The third story auditorium of Central
Library in San Diego will be the site for a free matinee show featuring Bell
and pianist Diane Snodgrass at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 12. As part of
the continuing concert series at the Central Library, Snodgrass and Bell will
be presenting a flute-piano recital with an emphasis on 20th century music. A
member of the Palomar College music department faculty, Snodgrass' emphasis is
on Baroque. She has performed locally with the San Diego Master Chorale and the
First United Methodist Church of San Diego Masterwork Chorale.
Saturday,
September 18, 8pm, will mark the 30th anniversary of Bill Evans' death. Bell
will be part of a special concert at Dizzy's nightclub, which will honor the
pioneering work of Evans, a pianist who cemented his reputation through his
1959 sessions with Miles Davis on the latter's seminal album, Kind of Blue,
regarded by many critics as the greatest jazz album of all time. Bell will be
part of a trio featuring Magnusson on bass and Tommy Gannon on piano. Profiled
extensively in the San Diego Troubadour back in August 2006, Magnusson has
remained close to the nucleus of the local jazz scene yet enjoys an international
following through the time when he was performing with legendary artists Sarah
Vaughn and Buddy Rich. Gannon performed behind the antics of Bob Hope and Jerry
Lewis, and entertained along side Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, and Steve
Allen. He also played with bassist Joco Pastorius of Weather Report fame prior
to his death at age 35. Gannon is in his seventh year performing with the Evans
tribute trio.
Magnusson
and Bell will be teaming up for another free concert on Wednesday, October 13,
7:30 p.m., at the Pacific Beach branch library. Joining the bassist and flutist
for a mixture of standards and originals will be Joe Azarello on piano. A
former radio host for the "Piano Masters" program at City College's Jazz 88 FM,
Azarello has performed with artists as diverse as Rich and Chuck Mangione.
On Sunday,
November 7, 4 p.m., Bell and Snodgrass collaborate on another Bach to bebop
presentation, this time at Greene Music on Miramar Road. A long established
piano retailer for over 35 years, Greene Music is also wonderful concert locale
for hearing live music.
Bell will
close out 2010 with an exotic engagement, and music fans will definitely need
to bring along passports. She will be one of the artists participating in an
eight-day music gathering in Costa Rica. Titled "Music in Costa Rica: The
Rising Stars of Jazz Tour," the festival will be both informative and intimate;
attendance is limited to the first 200. The artists are part of the Resonance
Records family.
Joining
Bell will be pianist Marian Petrescu from Finland, Swedish guitarist Andreas
Oberg, and American vocalist Angela Hagenbach. On its mission statement,
Resonance Records "is a division of the Rising Jazz Stars Foundation, a
California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation created to discover the next jazz
stars - passionate, brilliant musicians from around the world. We assist and
support them through recording, performance opportunities and distribution of
their art. Every Resonance CD and DVD is produced without compromise, to create
and preserve our artists' jazz legacy. "
For the
complete discography and itinerary of Bell, visit www.loribellflute.com