Lori Bell (l) and Ron Satterfield (r)
Monday, July 14, 2025
12 PM
Lori Bell, flute
Ron Satterfield, guitar/vocals
Kevin Kochs, drums
Acclaimed flutist and three-time Global Music Award recipient, 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 raising the standards of performance while earning acclaim from both peers and critics for her artistry on stage and in recordings.
In 2016, Lori paid heartfelt tribute to her family and birthplace with her critically acclaimed album Brooklyn Dreaming, which earned four-star ratings from Jazz Journal UK, Jazz Times, and the Los Angeles Times (four and a half stars), as well as DownBeat, which selected it as one of the “Best Albums of 2016.” HuffPost also included Brooklyn Dreaming in their “Best of Jazz 2016.” Writing in the March 2016 issue of DownBeat, Bill Milkowski stated:
“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.”
Veteran jazz critic Scott Yanow selected the album as one of his “Top 25 Best Jazz CDs of 2016.” It also received a Global Music Award for Outstanding Achievement in Composition and Arranging.
Her most recent album project, released in 2024, is a tribute to the legendary saxophonist and composer Joe Henderson. The Lori Bell Quartet – Recorda Me: Remembering Joe Henderson was selected for Jukebox Jury at Jazz Congress in NYC, received international press, and was named a Top 10 Jazz Critics Poll pick in Cadence Magazine. It was also selected as a Top 10 Essential Release by jazz critic Scott Yanow and named one of the Best Jazz Albums of 2024 by All About Jazz.
Lori has toured in Asia, including performances in Singapore and Hong Kong. She has also appeared in high-profile ensemble settings at The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Soka Performing Arts Center, the Wadsworth Theatre at UCLA, Birdland NYC, The Blue Note NYC, SFJAZZ, and the Joe Henderson Lab. Most recently, she collaborated on a project of jazz arrangements and classical compositions for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Library. She has performed three times at the Gala for the National Flute Association.
In addition to her international acclaim as a performer and recording artist, Lori is a respected figure in music education. She is currently on faculty at San Diego State University as an Instructor of Flute and Studio Artist Teacher. Over the years, she has privately taught hundreds of students of all ages in flute, piano (her secondary instrument), classical technique, jazz improvisation, theory, composition, and arranging—always with a focus on artistry and imagery—at her studio in San Diego.
Lori has presented masterclasses for numerous institutions and organizations, including the New York Flute Club, Columbia University, Mannes Music Conservatory (NYC), The New School (NYC), San Jose State University, Chico State, San Diego State University, UCLA, Utah State University, the National Flute Association (1989, 2003, 2016), University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, the San Diego Flute Guild, and in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Free concerts at noon every Monday year-round . . . no wonder the Mini-Concerts are the longest-running and one of the most popular classical music series at the library! This series was founded by Glenna Hazleton in 1970 at the Athenaeum, and has been going strong ever since. The concerts feature both local and touring musicians, prize-winning students, university music faculty members, local chamber ensembles. . . and the repertoire also includes jazz, folk, and world music. There are no reservations, no tickets . . . just line up at the side door of the Athenaeum before noon. (Donations are always welcome!) Mini-Concerts take place every Monday at noon and last about an hour.
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Doors open at 11:40 a.m. Last entry is at 12:10 p.m. or once capacity is reached. Seating is first-come; first-served. Reservations are not necessary, but seating is limited.