Biography
Guitarist singer-song writer Jeff Bell is a musical warrior, who is pushing on the confining walls of rock trying to bring them crashing down. His latest double CD release De La Grapefruit is a musical fruit salad of 34 wild and crazy songs. In his music you can hear the influence of Frank Zappa, David Byrne, Jim Morrison, King Crimson, Sammy Davis Junior, Yes, and more. In his songs he travels through time changes and a myriad of styles ranging from progressive rock, blues, funk, R&B, to jazz. He peppers the music with electronic effects, chatter, and zany insanity. His guitar playing shines throughout with hot blazing electric rock solos, bluesy slide guitar, percussive rhythm guitar and acoustic finger picking. Recorded in his home studio, Jeff performs vocals, guitars, bass, and percussion on all of the tracks of the CD except two. Renowned jazz pianist David Budway of Pittsburgh once called Jeff the sleeper of the city. One listen to his eclectic style, Zappa like lyrics, whimsical vocals, and his accomplished guitar craftsmanship and you’ll understand what Budway means.
A 45 year old Pittsburgh native Jeff is a graduate of Duquesne University where he received a degree in jazz performance. At Duquesne he studied with jazz greats David Budway, John Wilson and Joe (handyman) Negri. Jeff performs in Pittsburgh area night spots like the Blue Café. The De La Grapefruit CD is Jeff’s follow up to his 1999 release Dreams From A Kenworth.
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