Happy Apple
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Happy Apple – The treetops of a bad neighbourhood
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Biography
Formed in 1996 in Minneapolis, members of the band are David King (drums), Michael Lewis (saxophones) and Erik Fratzke (electric bass).
All three members compose music for the group; which places equal emphasis on improvisation. Happy Apple plays a unique brand of jazz music, drawing on several other genres. Their music is a fine and wholly representative effort, steeped in free-jazz abandon, laced with complexity, and conversant with Minneapolis’ punk and indie-rock heritage. King refers to the music’s “crunchy, dark-tinged underbelly,” a “core of down-homey, Midwestern spatial blues that seems to attach itself to every tune.”
The group’s members play in other bands ranging from indie rock and heavy metal to free jazz and electronic. The best known of these is The Bad Plus, in which King also plays drums. Other bands include Fat Kid Wednesdays, Halloween, Alaska, Buffalo Collision,The Gang Font, Dosh and multiple others.
They have released six studio albums to date, as well as a limited-edition 3-disc live set. They have allegedly appeared in bars, theaters, jazz clubs, rock clubs, school auditoriums, cafeterias, bakeries, museums, mini-marts, hockey venues, airport lounges and correctional facilities.
Their name comes from a Fisher-Price toy from the sixties, which King often uses as an auxiliary percussion instrument.
Top Tracks
Top Albums
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Youth Oriented
5,330 listeners8 tracks
Released:
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Happy Apple Back On Top
3,921 listeners11 tracks
Released:
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Please Refrain From Fronting
2,129 listeners11 tracks
Released:
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The Peace Between Our Companies
1,135 listeners12 tracks
Released:
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uu1cc
[RECOMMENDED FOR ALL AGES]
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Strawb77
do what you do. great stuff!
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postsludgefiend
Awesome, awesome jazz.
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londonov
а где русские? или они только поляков слушают?
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SquireSuzuki
What a great group. If anyone knows of a group like Happy Apple (modern jazz sax trio), please give me a shout. Thanks.
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Eyoki
What a great band. And how have i never discovered them till now.
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atroopofechoes
"its like free jazz that my girlfriend doesn't hate. most of the time" hahahahahaha
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atroopofechoes
happy apple fans would very much enjoy A Troop of Echoes - http://atroopofechoes.com
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jetydo
Check out the live Happy Apple track I posted on my blog: http://yearsagotoday.blogspot.com/2009/12/2-years-ago-today-happy-apple-happily.html
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andi_mara
they're great
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lyignatius
It is really a shame that more people don't know about Happy Apple... they are truly a hidden gem in the contemporary "jazz" world.
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Benjo22
Hands down my top group over the past two years! If you can weather the chaos and dischord, there are some of the most beautiful melody lines ever created. I'm fairly certain this music has altered my brain chemistry ( for better and worse ).
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a386
guys, yes. this is some greatness.
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mchristo
bloody brilliant i say
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c_pokey
i went with Happy Apple Back On Top and omg this group is amazing!
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c_pokey
what's the best album to start out with?
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The_Pear
Made of win!
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Nagsworth
THIS IS SO GOOD
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IndieTickets
Tickets for Happy Apple @ the Annex in Madison on April 22nd are NOW available. Check out http://www.indietickets.com
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essron
its like free jazz that my girlfriend doesn't hate. most of the time.
All 31 shouts
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