One of Chicago’s most innovative educators, David Bloom stimulates creativity in people across all disciplines.
David Bloom, Chicago-based music educator, producer, composer, author, artist and business owner, founded the Bloom School of Jazz in 1975. He received the “Jazz Educator of the Year” Award (2017) and has taught thousands of students including Grammy winning musicians.
His recent book What Is Soul? follows the release of Bloom’s series of 8 music method books (distributed by Hal Leonard). A guitarist, flutist and composer, he has released three albums Contender (2017), Until We Meet Again (2007) and Duende (2004) with collaborator and arranger Cliff Colnot.
Current projects include producing and composing in genres beyond jazz, such as his recent salsa tune “For Eddie P” (Eddie Palmieri). In 2018, he founded the Bloom Foundation 501(c)(3) which provides scholarships to young musicians. Bloom has been featured on television such as WGN, CBS, NBC and in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Jazz Magazine and Guitar Player. The school’s 38th anniversary Cool Heat Concert aired on WTTW Channel 11.
He judges his validity by his ability to successfully impact others and is fascinated by how people act, think and what motivates them.
Bloom’s jazz-as-language approach, incorporating linguistics, philosophy, aesthetics and music, impacts students at Bloom School of Jazz–and beyond. By listening to jazz masters, Bloom has taken their musical values and developed exercises that demand those sensibilities. Through the years, thousands of students have discovered that their abilities far exceeded their original expectations. He has presented improvisation workshops in the Midwest, for people from highschoolers to seniors. In a corporate setting, Bloom’s expert presentations help businesspeople communicate more clearly, react better and invent solutions.