Dee Bell
Encyclopedia
Dee Bell is an American jazz singer who recorded two albums on the Concord Jazz
label in 1983 & 1985 with musicians Stan Getz
, Eddie Duran, Tom Harrell
and Al Plank; and one album on the Laser Records label in 2011 with musicians Al Plank, Houston Person
, John Stowell
, Michael Spiro, Colin Bailey
, and John Wiitala.
graduate) on guitar, was released on the Concord Jazz label (CJ-206) as an LP for Valentine's Day
1983. The record also featured prominent Bay Area musicians Al Plank, Vince Lateano
, and Dean Reilly. This album was posted in the top ten in Radio and Records jazz airplay charts in the spring of 1983. Her follow-up recording in 1985 of One by One (CJ-271), also on the Concord Jazz label, reached number 13 on the Radio and Records jazz airplay charts in early summer 1985. This album featured trumpeter Tom Harrell
along with Duran and Plank, and other Bay Area jazz musicians. Let There Be Love was chosen as a BillBoard Magazine Recommended LP Jazz Pick in their March 26, 1983 issue. Bell was also nominated by Down beat magazine in their Jazz Critic's Poll of 1984 and 1985 as "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition". BAM Magazine
nominated Let There Be Love as the Best Debut Album in their 1983 Awards. Bell had recorded a third album in 1990, but when the tracks were compressed during the mastering process, the recordings of the bass instrument were badly distorted due to a misplaced microphone. After two failed attempts to re-engineer the tapes, the project was discarded. Now after a 20 year delay and technological advancements in digital remastering comes Sagacious Grace, a beautiful collection of songs dedicated to the memory of Al Plank.
Bell has performed around the US and internationally, appearing at the Golden Globe Awards, the Russian River Jazz Festival, the Jazz in the City Festival, the first and only Mill Valley Jazz Festival, the Napa Valley Mustard Festival and the Cotati Jazz Festival
, as well as television and hotel performances.
trio from age ten through to her senior year. Bell graduated from Indiana University
in December 1972 with a BS in Art Education, lived on the edge of the Hoosier National Forest in a 2-room cabin with a woodstove for heat, and was co-founder and head chef of the Earth Kitchen vegetarian restaurant in Bloomington
, Indiana
(the restaurant fostered the food cooperative and grocery store Bloomingfoods).
Bell resides as of January 2009 in Mill Valley
, California
with her son and husband. She continues to perform and write lyrics and music.
Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
label in 1983 & 1985 with musicians Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, Eddie Duran, Tom Harrell
Tom Harrell
Tom Harrell is a renowned American post-bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and arranger.-Biography:Tom Harrell was born in Urbana, Illinois but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of five. He started playing trumpet at eight and within five years, started playing gigs with...
and Al Plank; and one album on the Laser Records label in 2011 with musicians Al Plank, Houston Person
Houston Person
Houston Person is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. Person is also known for his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing...
, John Stowell
John Stowell
John Stowell is an American Jazz guitarist, composer, author and lecturer.- Biography :Stowell, who plays electric and acoustic guitar, raised in Connecticut had private studies with Linc Chamberland and John Mehegan...
, Michael Spiro, Colin Bailey
Colin Bailey
Colin James Bailey is a jazz drummer.Born in Swindon, England, Bailey learned to play drums as a child, studying formally from age seven. He lived in Australia from 1958 into the early 1960s, and played with Bryce Rohde and the Australian Jazz Quartet during this time...
, and John Wiitala.
Recordings and performances
Her debut album, Let There Be Love, with Stan Getz on saxophone and Eddie Duran (a Benny Goodman BandBenny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
graduate) on guitar, was released on the Concord Jazz label (CJ-206) as an LP for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
1983. The record also featured prominent Bay Area musicians Al Plank, Vince Lateano
Vince Lateano
Vince Lateano is an American jazz drummer who has toured with numerous great jazz musicians over the years, including Cal Tjader, Woody Herman, Vince Guaraldi, and Stan Getz....
, and Dean Reilly. This album was posted in the top ten in Radio and Records jazz airplay charts in the spring of 1983. Her follow-up recording in 1985 of One by One (CJ-271), also on the Concord Jazz label, reached number 13 on the Radio and Records jazz airplay charts in early summer 1985. This album featured trumpeter Tom Harrell
Tom Harrell
Tom Harrell is a renowned American post-bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and arranger.-Biography:Tom Harrell was born in Urbana, Illinois but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of five. He started playing trumpet at eight and within five years, started playing gigs with...
along with Duran and Plank, and other Bay Area jazz musicians. Let There Be Love was chosen as a BillBoard Magazine Recommended LP Jazz Pick in their March 26, 1983 issue. Bell was also nominated by Down beat magazine in their Jazz Critic's Poll of 1984 and 1985 as "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition". BAM Magazine
BAM (magazine)
BAM , was a free bi-weekly music magazine founded and published by Dennis Erokan in the San Francisco Bay Area starting in January 1976 and continuing on for 23 years until 1999...
nominated Let There Be Love as the Best Debut Album in their 1983 Awards. Bell had recorded a third album in 1990, but when the tracks were compressed during the mastering process, the recordings of the bass instrument were badly distorted due to a misplaced microphone. After two failed attempts to re-engineer the tapes, the project was discarded. Now after a 20 year delay and technological advancements in digital remastering comes Sagacious Grace, a beautiful collection of songs dedicated to the memory of Al Plank.
Bell has performed around the US and internationally, appearing at the Golden Globe Awards, the Russian River Jazz Festival, the Jazz in the City Festival, the first and only Mill Valley Jazz Festival, the Napa Valley Mustard Festival and the Cotati Jazz Festival
Cotati Jazz Festival
The Cotati Jazz Festival is an annual music festival held in Cotati, California, USA, since 1980. It typically takes place on Father's Day weekend...
, as well as television and hotel performances.
Critical reception
Leonard Feather of the Los Angeles Times wrote in a 1985 article that "Bell has a haunting, jazz-infected sound, her diction and phrasing flawless." Jay Roebuck at the Orange County Register chose One by One as the third best album of 1985, stating that "Dee Bell sings with a beautiful, clear voice that brings to mind Jackie Cain with just a touch of Chris Connor here and there. It's a pleasant combination, and she definitely has style of her own." In the British Jazz Journal, Derrick-Stewart Baxter also wrote in 1985 that "Dee Bell is more than just a good professional. She knows just how to bring the best out in a song. She does her own thing, lazy, hazy smoky singing."Personal life
Bell began playing music at home, where she grew up in a musical family. She was first chair clarinet in the Plainfield High School band and performed in an a cappellaA cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
trio from age ten through to her senior year. Bell graduated from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in December 1972 with a BS in Art Education, lived on the edge of the Hoosier National Forest in a 2-room cabin with a woodstove for heat, and was co-founder and head chef of the Earth Kitchen vegetarian restaurant in Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
(the restaurant fostered the food cooperative and grocery store Bloomingfoods).
Bell resides as of January 2009 in Mill Valley
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with her son and husband. She continues to perform and write lyrics and music.
Discography
- 2011, Sagacious Grace, Jazz, Laser Records LLC, 0708
- 1985, One by One, Jazz, Concord Jazz, CJ271
- 1983, Let There be Love, Jazz, Concord Jazz, CJ206
External links
- Official site
- Dee Bell at AOL Music
- Stan Getz official site with discography
- Concord, Bell's record label for first two releases
- Laser Records LLC, Bell's record label for her 2011 release