Sharla Bell
BIO
With a voice like a bell, Sharla Bell, specializes in Brazilian bossa nova, and contemporary/traditional American jazz genres. Since the inception of Nossa Samba in 2019, a band which introduced Huntsville, AL to the sounds of authentic Brazilian jazz genres, founded by Stan Lee, Sharla has fronted the group as lead vocalists and ever more recently, flute soloist. They have performed on numerous occasions throughout the Tennessee Valley.
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Sharla's musical roots began in the classical arena, mastering Mozart concertos and Bach sonatas in her youth while attending The Los Angeles County High School for the Performing Arts. Throughout her educational experience, exposure to the vast Hispanic musical cultures birthed a deep passion for Latin musical art forms such as salsa, Afro-Cuban, and Latin jazz, which cultivated Sharla’s skills and mastery to include everything from straight head jazz to samba. Los Angeles born and raised, the LACHSA graduate studied classical flute under Diane Allen-Craig, co-principal flutist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, and jazz flute/vocals under the guidance of Paul DeCastro of CSULA, where she was introduced to the Brazilian bossa nova. Her first professional musical experience included being featured briefly in a calypso steel drum band directed by a friend of her mother's, Chuck Countee, at age 13. In her freshman and sophomore years of college at CSULA, she was a featured vocalist/flutist in the jazz combo B, and later went on to obtain her Bachelor's degree in music after transferring to The University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Sharla continued to pursue the Latin jazz genres after becoming a Huntsville resident by teaming up with The Latin Rhythms Band in 2001 founded and directed by jazz trumpeter Luis Trevino. She performed regularly with the group for 8 years, a tenure that finally came to a pivotal end when the band opened up for two Latin Grammy award winning artists: Paquito De Rivera (2007), and Nestor Torres (2008).
Sharla released an EP neo-soul album later in 2011 under an independent label out of Atlanta, GA, but severed all ties with them due to bad business practices. Today Sharla enjoys the simplicity and freedom of making music as an independent artist.