Flutist Peter H. Bloom and pianist John Funkhouser will celebrate the 120th  birthday of the great Duke Ellington (born on April 29, 1899), with classics like  Take the A Train, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Caravan, In a Sentimental Mood,  and other Ellingtonia including  Cottontail, I’m Beginning to See the Light, and the lush ballad  Chelsea Bridge  by Ellington’s longtime composing partner Billy Strayhorn.

Peter and John have performed together for more than 20 years.  Both are veterans of the legendary Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (46th  season), and each has impressive credentials performing nationally and internationally.  They play with style and verve.

Peter H. Bloom  performs in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, and appears on 45 CDs.  He has shared the stage with Ricky Ford, Charles Neville, Geri Allen, Sheila Jordan, Jaki Byard and other jazz greats.  Jazz Improv praised his “exquisite melody,” while ArtsFuse wrote, “Bloom’s solos on flute and amplified flute are always highlights of a performance.”  In a career spanning almost 5 decades, Bloom concertizes widely with classical and jazz ensembles, including Ensemble Chaconne, Ensemble Aubade, mezzo-soprano D’Anna Fortunato, The Karl Henning Ensemble, The Makrokosmos Orchestra, The Modernistics, and the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra.  Bloom has performed in London, Bangkok, Canberra, Wellington, Ottawa and other world capitals, and in hundreds of cities across 40 states and four continents.  He is contributing editor for Noteworthy Sheet Music.

John Funkhouser, piano,  has shared the stage with Luciana Souza, Tierney Sutton, Ran Blake, Herb Pomeroy, Yoron Israel, Laszlo Gardony, Bob Gulotti, Stan Strickland, piano savant Matt Savage, and Mark Harvey’s Aardvark Jazz Orchestra.   As the leader of his own band Funkhouse and as a sideman (piano and string bass), he has performed at  Birdland, Blue Note, and Dizzy’s in New York, New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Pittsburgh’s Mellon Jazz Festival, and in  top venues in Chicago, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and other U.S. cities.  He has toured abroad in such diverse locations as Paris, Toulon, Zurich, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Montreal.      Among others, Funkhouser has recorded with James Merenda’s Masked Marvels, Pierre Hurel, Laura Allen, Willie Myette, Thomas Luescher, Matt Savage, John Lockwood, and FunkHouse.  He teaches Bass, Ear Training, and Ensembles  at Berklee College of Music.