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.