Biography
Jane Ira Bloom stands among the small number of jazz musicians who devote themselves exclusively to the soprano saxophone, and she ranks high among its leading practitioners. Although she does not position herself as an avant-garde player, her work occupies the progressive boundary of mainstream jazz. Her compositions draw extensively from the core jazz traditions of swing and tonality or modality, while her approach to form and structure remains distinctly personal, marking her output with the imprint of an independent musical mind.
Bloom took up an instrument near the age of twelve. She completed undergraduate study at Yale University, pursued graduate work at the Yale School of Music, and received private instruction at Berklee College of Music from Joe Viola. In the late 1970s she relocated to New York, where she worked with saxophonist George Coleman, a onetime sideman of Miles Davis. She established her own label, Outline, and began issuing her own recordings, often collaborating with pianist Fred Hersch. Enja brought out Mighty Lights in 1982, marking Bloom’s first release on a label other than her own. During the late 1980s she issued two albums on Columbia that included cautious experiments with electronics. Since that period the majority of her recorded output has appeared on the Arabesque label.
Her contributions have earned several honors, among them the 2001 Jazz Journalists Award and recognition in the Down Beat Critics Poll. Bloom’s fascination with space exploration led to a commission from NASA’s Art Program, and the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid in her honor. Performers who have appeared in groups under her leadership include flügelhornist Kenny Wheeler, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Bobby Previte, and trombonist Julian Priester. She also participates in the collaborative world-music ensemble Atlantic/Pacific Waves alongside Chinese pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, Korean komungo player Jin Hi Kim, and jazz bassist Mark Dresser. In addition, Bloom has written music for dance and for television.
Bloom took up an instrument near the age of twelve. She completed undergraduate study at Yale University, pursued graduate work at the Yale School of Music, and received private instruction at Berklee College of Music from Joe Viola. In the late 1970s she relocated to New York, where she worked with saxophonist George Coleman, a onetime sideman of Miles Davis. She established her own label, Outline, and began issuing her own recordings, often collaborating with pianist Fred Hersch. Enja brought out Mighty Lights in 1982, marking Bloom’s first release on a label other than her own. During the late 1980s she issued two albums on Columbia that included cautious experiments with electronics. Since that period the majority of her recorded output has appeared on the Arabesque label.
Her contributions have earned several honors, among them the 2001 Jazz Journalists Award and recognition in the Down Beat Critics Poll. Bloom’s fascination with space exploration led to a commission from NASA’s Art Program, and the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid in her honor. Performers who have appeared in groups under her leadership include flügelhornist Kenny Wheeler, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Bobby Previte, and trombonist Julian Priester. She also participates in the collaborative world-music ensemble Atlantic/Pacific Waves alongside Chinese pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, Korean komungo player Jin Hi Kim, and jazz bassist Mark Dresser. In addition, Bloom has written music for dance and for television.
Albums
