Joel Scannell was born on August 1, 1953 in the United States in Detroit, Michigan. As a child he studied piano, singing, dancing and clarinet. He danced and acted in local theater and grew up surrounded by the jazz and classical music of his parents. In high school he added flute, saxophone, composition and music theory to his studies. He graduated Cum Laude from Redford High School in Detroit at age 17. Of the nearly 1000 students graduating that year Joel won the highest award given to a music student: the Aeolean Award.
After school, Joel worked one year as a singer/dancer in Ted Gunther's "Stage Door Now Revue". In this group he met Ray Starling. Ray was pianist with Buddy Rich and Woody Herman and played mellophone with Stan Kenton. Ray also arranged music for these bands and the close harmony group "The Four Freshmen". After some time with Ted Gunther, Ray started a new jazz vocal group: "The Soft Touch", and Joel sang with this group for two years. During this period Joel delved into the world of jazz harmony, creating a basis for subsequent arranging and composing activities.
Many different bands and tours followed: a folk/rock trio, a commercial trio, a duo, then, after relocating to Miami, he toured the Caribbean and Central America from 1976 to 1978 with the Cuban/American recording artist, Wilfredo Chirino. It was during his stint with Chirino that Joel was exposed to the sounds of traditional Cuban flute playing, and in particular the well known master of that art, Fajardo. Fajardo played a wooden flute and the sound and phrasing of his salsa music influenced Joel to develop his own wooden flute style, which has become a trademark of his performances today.
In the period 1978-1982 Joel took some time off his musical career to start a family. He lived two years in Curacao then moved to the Netherlands in 1981. There, in 1982, he began his career anew and joined the Midland Big Band. In the same year he started studying composing and arranging at the Hilversum Conservatory. Due to professional activities Joel left the Conservatory in 1988 without his degree.
From 1988 to 1993 Joel worked with B & M Productions as composer, producer and recording engineer. During the next five years he wrote and produced numerous commercials and jingles for radio and television.
In 1993 Joel began composing for Robert Paul. Over the next two years he wrote several songs for Robert's one-man musicals; “Knetter” and “’t Trappenhuis”, of which the latter was broadcast on TV. During this period Joel also wrote arrangements for Lee Towers, and trombone virtuoso Bart van Lier and his trombone quartet: "Bart's Bones”.
Joel remains a sought after musician for theater shows such as Ramses Shaffy, Laura Fygi and the successful "Songs of Toon Hermans", and works as a freelance musician/arranger for many different clients.
Joel’s playing style contains elements of all of his extensive and diverse musical experience. Swing, jazz, latin and soul mingle and flow playfully from one style to the other, never crude or overdone, and always playing to the heart of his listeners. "Less is more" is Joel's motto and you can hear it anytime he sings or plays an instrument.