Lori Bell (l) and Ron Satterfield (r)

Monday, August 17, 2026

12 PM

Lori Bell, flute
Ron Satterfield, guitar/vocals

An award winning flutist of admirable depth and broad musical sympathies whose recordings and live performances over the years have set new and higher standards in contemporary jazz and classical music, Lori Bell paid heartfelt tribute to her family and birthplace on her critically acclaimed 2016 album Brooklyn Dreaming.

A longtime resident and innovative cultural presence in San Diego, Lori paid special homage to her parents whose musical passions and talents gave rise to her own. Her father was a big band lead trumpet player in NYC for over 30 years and her mother played the accordion with a great ear for both jazz and classical music. Growing up, she was influenced by the traditional music of her Jewish culture and a wide range of musical legends from violinist Jascha Heifetz, jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, and guitarist Wes Montgomery, to name a few.

Brooklyn Dreaming, Lori’s ninth solo album, was an across the board critical smash, earning four star ratings from Jazz Journal, Jazz Times and the Los Angeles Times (four and a half stars) and Downbeat, which chose it as one of their “Top CD’s of 2016.” Huffington Post also chose Brooklyn Dreaming for their Best of 2016 List. Bill Milkowski wrote in the March 2016 issue of Downbeat: “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 chose it as one of his Top 25 Best CD’s of 2016.

Brooklyn Dreaming also earned Lori her third honor from the Global Music Awards, for Outstanding Achievement for album and composition. In 2011, she received the competition’s Award of Excellence for her depth of playing, composing and arranging for her self-titled debut album Lori Bell. She followed that in 2014 with the Gold Medal Award for her composition “Une Chanson Pour Claude” from her album Night Soliloquy. A showcase for musical gems and unique voices, the Global Music Awards is a top tier music competition that honors talented musicians around the world.

Prior to releasing her solo debut album Lori Bell in 2002, the flutist recorded three previous works as part of different group settings, including Love Will Win (featuring pianist Dave Mackay and bassist Andy Simpkins), Take Me To Brazil and Interplay featuring Mackay and guitarist/vocalist Ron Satterfield. Her discography includes Interplay Live at the New York Grill, the Lori Bell Trio date Higher Standards, The Music of Djavan (featuring pianist Tamir Handelman) and Blue(s) featuring Ron Satterfield. 

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 which features pianist Josh Nelson, was selected at Jazz Congress in NYC for Jukebox Jury, received international press, and was selected Top 10 Jazz Critics Poll in Cadence Magazine, Top 10 Essential Releases by jazz critic Scott Yanow, and Best Jazz Albums of 2024 in All About Jazz.

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. Throughout her illustrious, multi-faceted career, she has performed at festivals and premiere venues throughout the U.S. including Smoke (NYC), Birdland (NYC), The Blue Note (NYC), Jazz Bakery (L.A.), Catalina Jazz Club (L.A.), SFJAZZ (SF), The Joe Hendersen Lab (SF), The Kennedy Center (DC) Elario’s (S.D.), Dizzy’s (S.D.), Jazz Summit 2 (L.A.), Gene Harris Jazz Festival (Boise, ID), Nome Music Festival (Alaska), Jazz in the Pines Festival (Idyllwild, CA).

Lori also has toured in Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong. She has also performed in high profile ensemble settings at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, SOKA Performing Arts Center in Orange County, CA, The Wadsworth Theatre at UCLA, and for a special 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 global renown as a performer and recording artist, Lori is a respected force in music education. She is currently on the faculty as an Instructor of Flute and studio teacher at San Diego State University and over the years, has privately taught hundreds of students of all ages in flute, piano (her secondary instrument), theory, composition and arranging at her studio in San Diego. She has taught master classes for the New York Flute Club, Columbia University, Mannes Music Conservatory NYC, The New School NYC, San Jose State University, Chico State, UCLA, Utah State University, The National Flute Association 1989, 2003, 2016, University Wisconsin Green Bay, SDSU, San Diego Flute Guild, in Hong Kong and Singapore.

While branding herself as an artist and performer who plays everything “from Bach to Bebop,” Lori Bell’s musical muse extends even beyond those worlds. A musical chameleon by nature, she is continuously evolving and committed to pursuing her musical passions wherever they lead her.

Ron Satterfield is simply one of the most talented musicians in Southern California. As a composer, arranger, keyboardist, guitarist and singer, he has played a key role in making San Diego a more vital music scene.  His collaborations with guitarist Steve Laury, vocalist Kevyn Lettau, flutist Lori Bell and saxophonist Joe Marillo are a testament to this fact.

On guitar, Satterfield has the instincts and phrasing of seasoned pianist, not a soloist as much as he creates a feeling for accompanying the others. His chord work is delicate, off center, teasing various accents and melodic texture, linking with the sure, deft, insistent percussion and wickedly swinging bass lines.

Satterfield’s vocals are a seductive combination of pop, jazz and Latin styles, a warm vocal instrument versed in the split-second wit of scat, the vowel stretching wonder of up tempo vocals. He has mastered his voice, gracefully applied over a variety of styles. Pop tune to torch song, salsa to samba, blues to bossanova, Satterfield does it all—distinct, swinging, and classy.

His piano style, evocative of Bill Evans, Joe Sample and Dave Grusin, is yet another instrument he has mastered, using the instrument as a vehicle for accompanying vocalists, instrumentalists, and also composing and arranging.

During his career Ron has earned a Grammy nomination with the group Checkfield and has won numerous awards from SESAC for his compositions.

Ron continues to explore the deep potential of all aspects of his music and combines a seriousness of purpose with a playful expressiveness in performance. 

In 1983, Ron and his partner John Archer formed Checkfield, a recording group of eclectic styles and inspiration, whose first album received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist that year.  They have since completed six more projects and received three additional Grammy nominations, including a final ballot nomination in 1989 for Best Engineered Recording. 

Over the past twelve years Ron has played an integral part in the group Interplay, a jazz trio of extraordinary gifts and consummate musicianship.  This group features the exquisite pianist Dave Mackay, flutist Lori Bell and Satterfield on guitiar and vocals.  Their self titled first album was selected on the Grammy ballot in four categories, including Best Performance of a Group.  The disc, which most recently earned four stars from Scott Yanow in Strictly Jazz magazine, features one of Ron’s original compositions “When You’re Near”, a waltz evocative of Bill Evans writing.

Currently Ron is performing with the group Trio de Janeiro featuring world class flutist Lori Bell and percussionist Tommy Aros.

Ron continues to explore the deep potential of all aspects of his music and combines a seriousness of purpose with a playful expressiveness in performance. 

On guitar, Satterfield has the instincts and phrasing of seasoned pianist, not a soloist as much as he creates a feeling for accompanying the others. His chord work is delicate, off center, teasing various accents and melodic texture, linking with the sure, deft, and insistent percussion of Aros. Over this percolating combination of rhythm and melody is Lori Bell’s flute work, a combination of virtuoso precision and heartfelt swing—swift, jumping lines ranging from low bluesy swoops to exhilarating escalations in the high registers. With this come Satterfield’s vocals, a seductive combination of pop, jazz and Latin styles, a warm vocal instrument versed in the split-second wit of scat, the vowel stretching wonder of up tempo vocals. He has mastered his voice, gracefully applied over a variety of styles. Pop tune to torch song, salsa to samba, blues to bossanova, Satterfield does it all—distinct, swinging, and classy.

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.