| About / Bio |
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David King (drums, composer)
Michael Lewis (saxophones, composer)
Erik Fratzke (electric bass, composer)
Formed in 1996, Minneapolis jazz group Happy Apple have done the improbable: they've gotten indie-rock scenesters to listen to jazz.
1997 found Happy Apple releasing their debut CD, Blown Shockwaves and Crash Flow, to wide critical acclaim, playing the Twin Cities' premier rock clubs to packed houses, and placing highly in the Minneapolis City Pages New Music Poll. Also in 1997, drummer David King won Jazziz magazine's "Percussionist on Fire" international drummer competition.
1998 found them winning Jazz Record of the Year, Jazz Group of the Year, and Drummer and Bassist of the Year (all genres) at the Minnesota Music Awards, touring the midwest, and returning to the studio to record Part of the Solution Problem.
Recorded totally analog without the use of editing or overdubs ("Punching-in is for pussies," says sax player Michael Lewis), Part of the Solution Problem represents the natural progression of a band pushing jazz improvisation and its traditions into a totally new genre.
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