February 10-16, 2005
musicpicks
Walter Bell Latin Jazz Unit
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Chestnut Hill flutist Walter Bell has cause to celebrate: Sunday's World Café show marks the release of his sixth CD on his own Reika Records imprint. While it's undoubtedly impressive that anyone could survive that long recording independently, Live at 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.
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