To gain true expertise on a musical
instrument often takes dedication and persistence alongside talent.
Some then reach, on that one instrument, a proficiency and versatility
which, in the ear of the beholder must be all but life-consuming.
Neel has been thought of as that musician - except many have believed
him to be be married to his trombone, only to learn that his guitar
playing is just as accomplished - and vice versa.
Particularly worrisome is his ability in what some think of as
'both' kinds of playing:
classical and jazz.
Reportedly Neel does occasionally sleep, but even then, we're
told, his right hand remains poised to grab the horn or that minor7
flat5. While Neel will also have some believe that he's
exclusively a singer or a bassist by trade, maybe most impressive is his
work both singing and playing (yes - same time!) in vocal jazz ensembles
and guitar+backing vocals jobs.
There seem few questions of instrumentation that Neel cannot
answer. A student of 7-string authority Chris Buzzelli and
Stan Smith, as well as Dr.
Andrew
Pelletier, among others, Neel has developed his playing at
Capital University's Conservatory of Music where he earned a magna cum
laude bachelors degree in music performance; and at Bowling Green State
University, where he received dual master's degree in music performance
and jazz studies. He
has honed his vocal abilities w/ New York Voices' Kim Nazarian and
Darmon Meader and maintains a busy playing schedule in
Currently on faculty at
Bowling Green State
University,
Terra Community College and
Hearing Neel play remains a treat that develops much like a delicious
stout: If you only take one
sip, your senses will miss out on all the colorful flavoring to
follow...
