Fly Away Home

Boston Jazz Hero Arni Cheatham (1944-2023) is celebrated in Fly Away Home, an exhibition of Cheatham’s stunning bird photography, with music by his long-time friends and colleagues, jazz veterans Peter H. Bloom, flute, and Richard Nelson, guitar, on Thursday, December 28, 2023, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, at the Piano Craft Gallery, 793 Tremont St, Boston 02118. The event is free and open to the public. Cover photo for this listing is Northern Pintail by Cheatham (included with permission of Cheatham estate).  In the December 28 event, Bloom and Nelson will play a vibrant mix of bebop, ballads, jump tunes, swing, and other standards as the backdrop for a public viewing of Cheatham’s photographs. The images can also be viewed by appointment through December 31, 2023.For information on the show: Eric Grau, Gallery Director: egrau@pianocraftgallery.com or Rebecca DeLamotte, Americas Musicworks: rhd@amwks.com

Arni Cheatham (1944 – 2023) was lead alto saxophonist in The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra for 45 of the band’s 51 years and a long-time member of The Makanda Project. Cheatham was also an accomplished photographer, known especially for his exquisite nature photography.   Flutist Peter H. Bloom is a veteran of The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, where he performed with Arni Cheatham in Aardvark’s vaunted woodwind section for 45 years.  Bloom has toured North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, and is featured on 48 CDs. He has shared the stage with Sheila Jordan, Charles Neville, Jimmy Giuffre, Ricky Ford, Geri Allen, Jaki Byard, and other jazz legends.  Praised for “infectious brio” (The New York City Jazz Record), Bloom’s latest CD, Exuberant Ellingtonia: Flute and Piano Sessions, has been called “a treasure trove” (Textura Magazine, Ontario) and “one of those albums we know are unique jewels” (Jazz, ese ruido, Spain).  Bloom is managed by Americas Musicworks.   Guitarist Richard Nelson is a long-time member of The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, where he played with Arni Cheatham for three decades. Nelson has performed in the U.S. and abroad.  He has shared the stage with notables like Adam Kolker, Taylor Ho-Bynum, Steve Grover, and Don Stratton. Richard performs regularly with his own Imaginary Ensemble, is co-director of The Makrokosmos Orchestra, and has released four albums of his original compositions.  The New York City Jazz Record praised his music as “bold and striking, … spellbinding, evocative and powerful,” while AllAboutJazz called him “an ambitious and daring composer.”