For over ten years, multi-instrumentalist and composer S. Joel Norman has been fusing soul, rock, funk, blues, jazz, and roots music into the hybrid sound that has become his signature. Transcending trends, the mission has been to create an enjoyable, exoteric musical experience while maintaining a passionate depth in songwriting. It’s a mission that cares less for industry hype and more for crafting a community that values the sheer joy of excellent music. S. Joel Norman began playing music at age four at the piano. “Mom probably got sick of me pounding on her antique piano as a toddler, so she put me in lessons,” he says. Hailing from the south suburbs of Chicago, Norman got his musical start playing and composing gospel music in the church. “Some of the guys who played there were also working musicians, and after playing a couple Sunday mornings with them they asked me to come play on Saturday nights with them. I was in junior high.” He went on to study at Wheaton Conservatory of Music, where he was the first to perform juries with a valve trombone, the first to perform an all-jazz recital, and the first to receive a bachelors degree in a new field of study he tailored. He also composed and arranged pieces for orchestra, chorus, and jazz ensemble as well as scores to many Arena Theater productions, including The Madwoman of Chaillot and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was most recently commissioned by Northern Illinois University to compose original songs for their Shakespeare production of A Winter’s Tale. He also has won multiple awards at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival, was a tenor in the Northwest Indiana Symphony, played Chicago’s largest independent music festival at the historic Congress Theater, directed music at the largest RCA church in the world, and holds the all-time Wheaton College high score in the original Nintendo game Duck Hunt. S. Joel Norman has also played alongside jazz greats Ira Sullivan and Mark Colby, as well as rock and roll heroes Billy Ozzello (Survivor) and Chip Znuff (Enuff Znuff), and acclaimed blues artist Jimmy Warren (CEO, Electro Glide Records). He has played all over North America, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. His new project, spearheaded by his EP studio/live album "Take it in Stride," is already hailed by audiences and critics. “In a world of overproduced pop music and cold, plasticized loops spit out of a computer, it is refreshing to hear a band that reminds you of the joy of a summer afternoon… Their unique brand of clever songwriting, combined with a fusion driven bass line funk, makes this one of the best bands to emerge from Chicagoland.” –Tommy Allen, Editor, rapidgrowthmedia.com “S. Joel Norman is simply amazing. His live show blew my mind.” –Brian Bender, GM of The Elbo Room, Chicago “S. Joel Norman’s music is like the movie Forrest Gump. It’s skillfully crafted, it seamlessly combines genres, and it can deal with life’s deepest questions while being consistently accessible. He’s the CliffsNotes of all the best music.” –Ed Stevens, manager “He’s got the same songwriting sensibilities of Billy Joel or Paul McCartney, and golden pipes. I hail Joel.” –Chip Znuff