Aardvark Jazz Trio (Peter H. Bloom, flute; Phil Scarff, saxes; Tim Ray piano) Sep 20 Claremont NH

CLAREMONT, N.H. - Sept. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- The Aardvark Jazz Trio (acclaimed musicians Peter H. Bloom, flute; Phil Scarff, saxophones; Tim Ray piano) will perform in the Birthday in the Bricks Festival, Saturday September 20, at 1:30 pm, Broad St Park, Claremont NH. For information, call 1-802-738-0022.  The show will feature up-tempo jazz standards by master tunesmiths like Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael, and Harold Arlen.  Each of the three musicians has impressive touring credentials in the U.S. and abroad.  They are members of the legendary Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, called “stunning” (Billboard.com), “brilliant” (CultureJazz.France), and “beyond category” (Downbeat).  The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra will open its 42^nd season October 2, 2014 at 8:00 pm at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, featuring the release of Aardvark’s new CD Impressions (Leo Records). www.aardvarkjazz.com   The legendary band will celebrate the Claremont New Hampshire 250^th Anniversary in a show October 26 at 4:00 pm, at the Claremont Opera House, featuring the world premiere of Aardvark director Mark Harvey’s new piece, Claremont Suite, to be performed by the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra and the Claremont Community Jazz Band.

About the Aardvark Jazz Trio:

Peter H. Bloom, flute, concertizes in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and is featured on 40 recordings (Sony Classical, Dorian, Leo, 9Winds, other labels).  Acclaimed as both a classical and jazz artist, he performs with noted ensembles including Ensemble Chaconne, Olmsted Ensemble, and the world-renowned Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (42nd season).  He has given lectures, workshops and master classes across the globe on such wide-ranging topics as jazz standards, improvisation, new music and historical performance.  The Boston Globe called his playing “a revelation for unforced sweetness and strength,” while Allaboutjazz.com praised his “hip, jazzy flute work…exquisite melody,” and Arts Fuse wrote, “His solos on flute and amplified flute are always highlights of a performance.”  Bloom’s career in jazz encompasses free improvisation, jazz standards, blues, bebop and the avant-garde.  He has appeared with jazz luminaries Charles Neville, Jaki Byard, Sheila Jordan, Geri Allen, Walter Thompson, Raj Mehta, Mark Harvey, and others.  A 37-year veteran with The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Bloom appears on twelve Aardvark CDs, including seven discs on the prestigious Leo Records label.  He is a winner of the American Musicological Society’s Noah Greenberg Award and has served as historical performance consultant to The American Museum in Britain, The New York Historical Society, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where he has performed extensively and recorded for the audio guide to woodwinds.  His arrangements and compositions are published by Noteworthy Sheet Music.

Saxophonist Phil Scarff is an acclaimed jazz artist, a 26- year veteran of The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, and leader of the renowned world-jazz ensemble Natraj.  He has been praised for his “scorching tenor [saxophone] solo” (allaboutjazz.com) and “scintillating performance” (Sakal, Kolhapur, India), while Downbeat called him “enchanted musician” and The Sunday Observer (Mumbai) wrote, “Phil Scarff saxophonist:  real find.”  Phil is featured on 30 CDs/DVDs, including releases by Natraj, The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra and Saxophone Quartet, Sandy Prager, and the National Film Preservation Foundation. Phil performs and records with other noted ensembles including the Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group and FiLmprov. He has performed throughout the United States, appeared in Ghana (West Africa) and the Caribbean, and has toured extensively in India with appearances in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, and Chennai, to name a few.  Phil has presented workshops and lectures on jazz and world music at institutions such as New England Conservatory, Berklee College, Tufts University, MIT, Lawrence University, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth College, Guelph Jazz Festival, University of Rhode Island, LearnQuest Festival (Boston), and Kalakshetra Foundation (Chennai, India).

Pianist Tim Ray’s wide-ranging skills as a soloist and accompanist have afforded him the opportunity to perform with legendary performers from all walks of music.  Perhaps best known as long-time pianist for Lyle Lovett, Tim appears on more than 70 recordings and has performed in concert with an extensive list of pop music icons, notably Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Jane Siberry and Soul Asylum. He regularly performs with leading figures in the jazz world, among them Gary Burton, Esperanza Spalding, Phil Woods, Scott Hamilton, and Dave Douglas, and his classical credits include concerts with Gunther Schuller, the Boston Pops, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and others.  He tours frequently in the Americas, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East; has performed at Carnegie Hall, the White House, the Kennedy Center, and the 1992 Presidential Inauguration;  and has made repeat appearances on “The Tonight Show” (Johnny Carson, Jay Leno), “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Conan O’Brien Show,” and other national broadcasts.  A sought-after arranger and composer, Tim has penned numerous original works for his trio Tre Corda and other groups.  He is a grant recipient from the National Endowment for the Arts and a faculty member of Berklee College of Music.  He served previously on the faculty of New England Conservatory of Music; has lectured and taught improvisation at Harvard University and MIT; and conducts clinics at colleges and high schools in the U.S. and Canada.  Tim Ray has been called “superb” (The Wire, UK), “brilliant” (Jazz Journal International), and a “genius at the keyboard” (Musician Magazine).  Jazz critic Bob Blumenthal praised Tim as “both a perfectionist and an explorer. What a sound he gets from the instrument…”

The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra and the Aardvark Jazz Trio are managed by Americas Musicworks, Rebecca DeLamotte, managing director, telephone 617-776-8778. Email:  delamotte-amw@comcast.net