Walter Bell Companion Vol 2.

Mr. Walter Bell’s 10th CD Release

CD Available at
http://www.cdbaby.com  and jazsound.com
or
Special Order from this site

Live in Sedona
Walter Bell Latin Jazz Unit

Chestnut Hill flutist Walter Bell has cause to celebrate: Sunday's World Café show marks the release of his 9th CD on his own Reika Records imprint. While it's undoubtedly impressive that anyone could survive that long recording independently, "Live in Sedona" is proof that wider recognition is overdue.

Bell is a tireless champion of his much-neglected instrument, taking any opportunity to tout himself as one of the rare jazz performers who plays flute exclusively. And it shows; completely self-taught, Bell's sharp lines never collapse into the thin breathiness that mars many sax players' attempts. The Latin Jazz Unit is something of a misnomer, neither exclusively Latin jazz (Bell truly shines when his band lays into a swinging blues vamp) nor a unit, but an ever-shifting group of musicians who ably back the leader's soulful soloing.Sun., Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m., $23-$50, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.

—Shaun Brady
musicpicks

The buzz is growing about flute virtuoso Walter Bell and his all-star ensemble, the Latin Jazz Unit. With his sixth and latest release, Live at Sedona, Bell has solidified his reputation as a gifted musician, composer, producer and bandleader. His mastery and dedication to the flute is exceptional; he plays all of them - from alto flute, to bass flute to piccolo.

In Three Places at Once

Flutist Walter Bell's album In Three Places at Once is something of a musical triptych in that it is a complete work divided into three discrete units. The album is comprised of three sets, each recorded in a different venue with a different ensemble. The only constant is Bell's agile and inventive flute work.

back to the top

"Standard" Room Only!

"With a hard swinging approach and the addition of a Fender Rhodes piano and trumpet, Walter has again risen to the occasion! We are all aware of his passion for Latin and Brazilian grooves, primarily due to being raised in the 'ethnically diverse' neighborhoods of Philly, and how he uses his flute to creatively capture the 'feel' the original composers had when these classics were penned. However, only Mr. Bell and his group can add such a 'fresh and hip' spin to them and still keep them pure and unspoiled...This veteran of national festivals, nightclubs, and school workshops will be coming to your town soon, and when he does, don't miss him!" Kenny Hawkins, DJ and Flutist Jazz Radio WOAK, Oakland, California

Kenny Hawkins, DJ & Flutist
Jazz Radio WOAK, Oakland, California

"Walter Bell's fifth release features his dynamic Latin Jazz Unit to spice up some of the best-known melodies from north and south of the equator...Bell is delightfully at ease performing classics by Washington and Carmichael, Lane and Lerner as well as Jobim...The music may be standards, but the performance is extraodinary."

Jazz Times

back to the top

An Evening With Walter Bell 

"It's appropriate that Philadelphia is the main stage for Walter Bell's fourth CD, An Evening With Walter Bell'...on this recording, a native son comes 'ready to represent!' Like Hubert Laws and Herbie Mann - his major influences - Walt plays flutes exclusively. Saxophonists who double on the flute often overblow and give it a thin, hollow sound. In contrast, Walt's rich tone captures the flute's deep intrinsic beauty, and his total command of the instrument allows him superior fingering dexterity and steady control. He doesn't need gimmicks, like humming, to make the flute sing."

Al Hunter Jr.

Jazz Writer, Philadelphia Daily News

"Here's the tightest, most spontaneous and well-integrated playing I've heard from [Walter] Bell and company on disc...Bell's solos flow more freely in front of an audience, his rhythm section plays with more of an edge; the breaks sound more genuinely improvisational and the ensemble playing more joyfully energized. Live recording is a musically chancy, technically perilous undertaking, but it clearly brings out the best in these musicians."

Clarke Bustard
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Philly native Walter Bell’s never been one to limit his options. The jazz flutist began his career playing in rock and funk bands. His main gig since, though, has been with the Latin Jazz Unit, which lays down a decidedly south-of-the-border groove for "multi-flutist" Bell (he plays flutes exclusively) to riff over. Bell just got off a European tour that further stretched his repertoire, performing with Cibo Matto and Sugar Ray, not to mention his gig at the Greater Antilles Jazz Festival in Aruba and Barbados.

Now he’s touring the East Coast in support of An Evening with Flutist Walter Bell and the L.J.U. (Reika), a live recording of their Valentine’s Day gig at the Pennsylvania Convention Center during last year’s PECO Jazz Festival. Once you get past the somewhat long introductions by WRTI’s Earl Brown, Bell does things with the flute that the prim little girls who played it in your elementary school concert band probably never dreamed of.

The L.J.U. gives the proceedings a very Brazilian feel, but Bell’s dipping, diving solos and swirling lyricism might make you think of another Philly native, John Coltrane. For a live performance, the CD is crisp. But as good as the disc is, you’ll appreciate it that much more after seeing the man do it live.

—Brian Howard

back to the top

The Pleasure's All Mine

"On the Pleasure's All Mine, Walter Bell utilizes a variety of mainly Latin-inspired settings to spotlight the versatility of the flute. Bell smartly taps into sparse, basic arrangements to keep his awe-inspiring leads front and center - from snaking, sliding low register play on the funky percussive 'Jive Samba' to breathtaking tongue-and-trill runs on a joyous read of 'Autumn Leaves'...Throughout, Bell shows a willingness to experiment with sounds and mix techniques...Pleasure opens enlightening windows to the unique aspects of an under-utilized instrument."

Jazz Times

back to the top

Blue Smoke                  

"Herbie Mann protege Walter Bell revives the flute as a dynamic and cool lead voice on the aptly-titled Blue Smoke...While most contemporary flutists gravitate towards either drippy melodrama or cold, technical play, Bell mines the middle ground, playing with great speed and detail, while refusing to compromise emotion...Throughout, Bell shows the pure talent and musical sensibility to carry Herbie Mann's banner to a next generation of jazz flutists."

Jazz Times

Walter Bell and the Latin Jazz Unit 1998
The mere mention of "smooth jazz" is usually enough to send any self-respecting listener into a drooling, catatonic state. But, as any João Gilberto fan will tell you, it doesn't have to be bland to be soothing. The folk music of Brazil has long been a fascination among jazz musicians; the bossa nova's subtle pulse and lilting melody made it a perfect companion to jazz improvisation. For the last five years, Philadelphia's own Walter Bell and the Latin Jazz Unit have explored this territory.

Bell's flute rides the crest of his group's airy accompaniment, with a relaxed lyricism reminiscent of Herbie Mann or Hubert Laws. The LJU's latest album, Blue Smoke (Reika Records), showcases the group's facility with the bossa nova and samba, as well as straight-ahead blues.

-Nate Chinen

back to the top

Ever So Gently

"Few play flute exclusively, as Walter Bell does on this recording. His solos are both logical and surprising. The selections are mostly standards, and if they stay well within the melodic mainstream, they never lapse into mere prettiness. The arrangements - for example a sprinting 'Summertime' - are unpredictable enough to keep things interesting."

Peter McElhinney
Nine Times

back to the top

SUCCESS LEAVES ITS CLUES 

Bell, who recently completed a European tour, was called "the hottest voice on the flute today" by Jazz Times magazine. He has recorded eight CDs, including Success Leaves its Clues, which charted as high as number 17 in the country. It's full of good blows, stylish arrangements and lots of graceful slaloming."

Len Lear

back to the top