Noted duo (Peter H. Bloom flute; Mark Leighton guitar) to perform jazz, chamber music in Maine

Aug. 2, 2014 - PRLog -- In a collaboration spanning 20 years, flutist Peter H. Bloom and guitarist Mark Leighton have been praised for stellar musicianship and entertaining concerts spanning the classical and jazz traditions.  The acclaimed duo will perform at multiple venues in Maine later this month, taking the audience on a musical excursion from the salons of Vienna’s golden age to the jazz clubs of Manhattan.

Concert details:  The Bloom/Leighton Duo will perform Thursday, August 14 at 7:30 pm in the Islesboro Summer Concerts, Free Will Baptist Church, Islesboro, Maine (information:  1-888-887-7169); on Sunday August 17 at 3:00 pm in the Concerts in West K Concert Series (West Kennebunk United Methodist Church, 160 Alfred Road, West Kennebunk, ME 04043, $15, $12 youth and seniors; information Paul Wells, 207-985-2831) and on Sunday August 17 at 7:30 pm in the Trinity Summer Concert Series (Trinity Episcopal Church, 546 York Street, York Harbor ME 03911, Information:  207-363-5258).

Upcoming event:  On October 2, 2014, Peter Bloom will continue his long tenure with the internationally renowned Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (Mark Harvey, music director) as the band opens its 42nd season at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston. www.aardvarkjazz.com

Bloom/Leighton Bios:  Peter H. Bloom, flute, alto flute, bass flute and piccolo,concertizes in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand; appears on 40 recordings (Leo Records, 9Winds, Sony Classical, Dorian, other labels); has given workshops, master classes and lecture-demos across the globe; and is a winner of the American Musicological Society’s Noah Greenberg Award.   His impressive career encompasses exploratory jazz, new and improvised music, jazz standards, blues, bebop, and diverse chamber music from the Renaissance to the 21^st century.    The Boston Globe called his playing “a revelation for unforced sweetness and strength,” while Jazz Improv hailed his “exquisite melody” and allaboutjazz.com praised his “hip, jazzy flute work.” He has appeared with Charles Neville, Jaki Byard, Sheila Jordan, Geri Allen, Jay Clayton, Walter Thompson, Raj Mehta, Mark Harvey and other notables and has performed with the MIT Festival Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Expansions Orchestra,  Todd Brunel’s Vortex Series for New and Improvised Music, and FiLmprov (improvised music for animated films of Kate Matson).  Bloom is a 38-year veteran (flutes and alto saxophone) with the legendary Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (“lush sonorities and a saxophonic blend worthy of Ellington’s finest reed sections” JazzTimes).  He has performed with Aardvark at hundreds of venues and appears on 12 Aardvark CDs, including 7 discs on the Leo Records, one of the world’s leading adventuresome music labels. With members of Aardvark, he recorded improvised music for the National Film Preservation Foundation’s DVD series Treasures from the American Film Archives, which The New York Times called “one of the best sets of the year.”

A champion of new music, Peter H. Bloom collaborates extensively with composers and has given premieres of works by Mark Harvey, Elizabeth Vercoe, Richard Nelson, Pamela Marshall, Narong Prangcharoen, Richard Cornell, Paul Brust, Peter Aldins, Marianela Maduro, Len Detlor, Karl Henning, Matt Samolis, and others.   Original compositions, including numerous works written for him, have been a vital part of his concert tours for more than three decades, across 40 states and four continents.  Bloom’s own compositions and arrangements are published by Noteworthy Sheet Music.  http://www.noteworthysheetmusic.com/nsm/

Mark Leighton is a classical and jazz guitarist known for his superb artistry and wide-ranging repertoire.  He has performed as a solo recitalist and ensemble player across the Northeast, appearing at venues such as Colby College, Corning Community College, Eastern Nazarene College, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston’s historic King’s Chapel, Thomas Crane Library, Charlestown Public Library, Elmira College and many others.  Mr. Leighton is a regular member of Copley Chamber Players.  He serves on the Applied Music Faculty at Colby College, teaches at Eastern Nazarene College and St. George’s School, and served previously as Artistic Director of First Night Quincy.  A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Mr. Leighton studied with noted guitarists Robert Sullivan, David Leisner and Sharon Isbin, among others.

The Bloom/Leighton Duo is managed by Americas Musicworks, Rebecca DeLamotte, Managing Director, telephone 888-887-7169, email:  delamotte-amw@comcast.net