HERE'S TO LIFE! A CELEBRATION OF CLIFFORD BELL is Coming to Catalina Jazz Club

Here's to Life! A Celebration of Clifford Bell will be held at Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Doors will open at 6:30PM, and the show starts at 8PM.

Performers include Jason Graae, Dana Meller, Eydie Alyson, Charlo Crossley, and many more, with Musical Directors Brad Ellis, Mitch Kaplan, Michael Collum, and David Cohen. Admission is free, and a main course or two-drink is minimum required.

Performers include Jason Graae, Dana Meller, Lara Teeter, Charlo Crossley, Kiki Ebsen, Artie Butler, and many more, with Musical Directors Brad Ellis, Mitch Kaplan, Michael Collum, and David Cohen. All are welcome.

Clifford Bell, known affectionately as "Lawrence of Cabarabia," was one of the leading directors and producers in the fields of cabaret, concerts, and one-person shows.

As a forty-year veteran of show business, Clifford has worked in venues large and small. He has written and directed variety performances featuring icons like Walter Cronkite, Colin Powell, and Michael Eisner at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California, and toured with television icon Katey Sagal and her band. With his frequent collaborator Lara Teeter (Tony Nominee, On Your Toes), Clifford also co-created the successful touring show Direct From Broadway, starring Tony Award winners Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins' Broadway) and Michael Maguire (Les Miserables).

As one of the most prominent figures in the West Coast cabaret community, Clifford hosts "Cabarabia The Podcast," focused on "Live Entertainment In Intimate Settings."

Clifford's productions run the gamut from personal evenings like Lois Bourgon's "You Are My Lucky Star: My Years Working With Debbie Reynolds," Katrina Aguilar's "Part Of Your World," and Carol Whitener's "The Story Goes On" to tribute shows like Todd Murray's celebrated "Croon", Joanne Tatham's paean to the music from the movies made in Manhattan, "Soundtrack New York", and Bonnie Gilgallon's "The Look Of Love: The Music Of Dusty Springfield."

Clifford was particularly well known for his variety evenings and showcase presentations, often for charitable causes. One of Clifford's most anticipated efforts was Our Name Is Barbra, the annual celebration of Barbra Streisand's birthday, which has been raising funds and awareness for Clifford's beloved charity Project Angel Food for the past 24 years and counting! Clifford's friends and community will continue Our Name is Barbra in Clifford's honor at a later date.

In addition to live performances, Clifford has also produced several CDs such as Lauren White's "Meant To Be" and Lauren White & The Quinn Johnson Trio's "Experiment: Inspired By The Recordings Of Irene Kral," Chase Masterson's "Rendezvous," Lee Lessack's eponymous debut, Tiba's "Jukebox Baby," and Bobbie Norman's "Here And Now" and "Always Faithful, Bobbie." Clifford also produced popular cabaret CDs including Betsy Ann Faiella's "Can I Be Frank?," Eileen Barnett's "Live At The Cinegrill" and the recording of the live charity event "Revolution: A Benefit for the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, featuring Patricia Whiteman.

Formerly the Senior Vice President of Artists & Repertoire for the prestigious Broadway-oriented label Fynsworth Alley, Clifford was proud of discovering the seventeen-year-old San Francisco sensation Judy Butterfield and producing her debut CD "Judy Sings Judy: Live From The Empire Plush Room," as well as her first studio album "How Long Has This Been Going On?"

Aside from the cabaret and concert scene, Clifford directed several one-person shows in theatrical settings to great acclaim. The High Priestess of "UnCabaret" Beth Lapides explained the mysteries of the Un-iverse in "100% Happy 88% Of The Time." TV and Film actress Joan Hotchkis examined aging and sexuality in the long running "Elements of Flesh: Or Screwing Saved My Ass." Juliette Marshall explored life after divorce in her hilarious and touching "Shift Happens: A (Piece Of) Work-In-Progress," Deborah Pearl brought to life an array of interconnected female vocalists in the smash hit "Chick Singers." Comedian, phone psychic and 976-sex worker Paul Jacek shared intimate memories in the crowd-pleasing "Secrets Of A Beverly Hills Shampoo Boy."

Born into a musical family, Clifford's father was a symphony conductor and his mother was a concert cellist. His brother, Bryan, is an accomplished techno-wizard with over thirty years of working with the most respected names in the music business, which allowed Clifford to look over the shoulders of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, David Foster, Wynton Marsalis, Carlos Santana, and Neil Young, to name a few.

As a writer, Clifford was a frequent contributor to, in his own words, "the sophisticated glossy magazine, Cabaret Scenes."

Clifford was extremely active in supporting nonprofits with his work. Most recently, Clifford joined forces with Shannon Penrod and Dana Meller to establish Broadway For Autism, an organization dedicated to creating access and inclusivity in arts education for individuals on the autism spectrum, spanning the arts-related professions.

In 2023, Clifford was featured (alongside Chita Rivera, Bruce Vilanch, and Sam Harris) in Marc Saltarelli's award-winning documentary "Studio One Forever."