'Flute Man' performs downtown

New Orleans native Jay Dowl has been playing recorder for 12 years and calls himself “the Flute Man.”

As a cool breeze blew through the trees lining Kirkwood Avenue on Saturday evening, Dowl stood in the wooden doorway of the former location of Greek’s Pizzeria, playing pieces ranging from Bach to spiritual hymns on his recorder.

“I’ve been living here in Bloomington for three years,” he said. “I’ve just come on in here, and soon I’ll be at the next destination.”

Dowl taught himself to play recorder. He said that through his research, he found it is a much more serious instrument than some perceive.

He said his studies in London on classical music have influenced him to relocate to Bloomington, intending to eventually be at the Jacobs School of Music.

Dowl’s love of the classics and sharing his gift of music also attracts people from various backgrounds.

Zak and Hagino Hargis had never been to Bloomington until Saturday. They were impressed by the beauty of the town and the simplicity of being able to walk down Kirkwood and hear someone like Dowl perform.

The couple is from Kentucky. Hagino Hargis studies music and plays piano at the University of Louisville.

Their 18-month-old son, Kanase, looked up at Dowl in a fixed gaze as he played “Greensleeves.” The child’s name means “to play music in the world.”

“It’s so nice to walk by and hear things we’re familiar with,” said Hagino Hargis. “It’s such a gift.”