Bell Man
One of the last in a lineage of great Jewish violinists, this “farm boy” of the American heartland drives a Porsche and plays the world’s most famous “Jewish” violin.
Joshua Bell’s tall frame tilts sideways on the sleek gray banquette of the Tamarind Tea Room, a tiny, elegant cafe near his loft in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood.
At the moment, Bell looks more jaded rock star than emotive violin virtuoso. He’s wearing a green thermal shirt and jeans and he seems sleepy, with a bit of bedhead in his trademark bangs.
“Their teas are really good,” he offers softly, pouring himself chai from an earthenware Japanese teapot. I ask if he’s jet-lagged, knowing that he’s on the road 200 days a year performing at sold-out concerts. Bell, 39, begins to explain that, yes, he’s been “crashing” at home...
