Lori Bell Bio - short version
Brooklyn native Lori Bell is a flutist and composer of admirable depth and broad musical sympathies. A resident of San Diego, she has contributed to the development of higher standards of performance while earning acclaim from both peers and critics for her artistry on stage and in recordings.
In December 2011 Lori received a Global Music Award, the Award of Excellence for her depth of playing, composing and arranging for the "Lori Bell" CD (Beezwax Records). In April 2014 Lori won a second Global Music Award, the Gold Medal Award for her composition "Une Chanson Pour Claude" on the CD "Night Soliloquy" (Azica Records). In March 2016 The GMA's honored a third award for Outstanding Achievement for her 9th studio CD "Brooklyn Dreaming" for album and composition.
Her latest release, "Brooklyn Dreaming", a tribute CD to her family and birthplace, is receiving international acclaim. "Bell flaunts prodigious chops on both C flute and alto flute though her pen might be mightier than her sword. Her Originals all reveal a wide harmonic palette, a sophisticated rhythmic sensibility and a refined sense of dynamics, along with an urge to swing". Downbeat DoDwnbeatBill Milkowski - Downbeat March 2016 ****
Lori has performed with several exemplary ensembles at SOKA Performing Arts Center, Wadsworth Theater UCLA, The Kennedy Center, for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Library, and recently at Birdland in NYC with famed clarinetist Eddie Daniels.
In 2013 and 2014 Lori was Artist in Residence at the La Jolla Community Center where she produced concerts, performed, composed and arranged music for Fourth Friday Jazz Series. Other notable venues Lori has performed include Birdland (NYC) Smoke (NYC), The Blue Note (NYC), Jazz Bakery (LA), Catalina's (LA), Vitello's (LA) The Vic (LA), Anthology (SD) Elario's (SD) Dizzy's (SD) Croce's (SD) SOKA University, Jazz Summit 2 (LA) Gene Harris jazz festival (ID), Nome Music festival (Alaska), Green Bay Jazz festival (WI), tour of Asia-Singapore & Hong Kong, Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival - Kennedy Center (DC), Jazz in the Pines Festival in Idyllwild (CA)
Over the past two decades, the Grammy Award selection panel has recognized Lori's excellence with selections in several categories-among them Best Instrumental Arrangement, Best Composition, and Best Instrumental Solo.
In 1989 Ms. Bell headlined at the Gala for the National Flute Convention and again in 2003 and 2016.
She is also devoted to chamber music: the breadth of classical repertoire for flute and piano, and is principal flute with the Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra. In 2014 Lori recorded "Night Soliloquy" - A collection of 20th century repertoire for flute and piano released on Azica Records.
Lori has recorded for Discovery Records, Websters Last Word, Beezwax Records, Resonance Records and Azica Records/Naxos.
Lori is currently Instructor of Flute in jazz faculty at San Diego State University and also teaches privately flute, piano, theory, composition and arranging at her studio in San Diego.