There is something pure and special about a musical duet. There is the opportunity for conversation, for an intimate exchange. There is room for improvisation and variation as the two musicians explore the given structure.
Mary Flower is a brilliant fingerpicking guitarist in the roots blues/ragtime/early jazz tradition. She is a prodigious talent whose seasoned skills earned her the Far West Folk Alliance “Best of the West” award in 2025. She is a long-time teacher who recently celebrated twelve years of “Blues in the Gorge,” her own guitar intensive. She’s made thirteen recordings that document her profound command and love for blues guitar. It’s entirely appropriate that Jorma Kaukonen called her “a national treasure in your own backyard.”
Leon is the younger partner, but in fact, he’s already a veteran international touring reed (saxophone and clarinet) player with the much-loved California Honeydrops. When he’s not on the road, Leon maintains a strong presence in the Portland music scene, regularly as a bandleader and as a sideman with a variety of jazz and jazz adjacent groups. Over the years, he’s shared the stage with luminaries like Bonnie Raitt, Del McCoury, Charlie Hunter and played everywhere from Australia’s Byron Bay Bluesfest to Red Rocks to New Orleans’ Tipitina’s.