American jazz band
Part of the Solutionproblem| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| AllMusic |   [1] |
Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking| Review scores |
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| AllMusic | [1] |
Please Refrain from Fronting| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| AllMusic | [1] |
The Peace Between Our Companies| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| AllMusic | [1] |
Happy Apple is an Americanjazz trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Initially formed in 1996 byDavid King (drums),Michael Lewis (saxophone), Anton Denner (saxophone) and Cully Swansen (bass), since 1998 the lineup has consisted of King, Lewis, and bass guitarist Erik Fratzke.[2]
All three members compose music for the group,[2] which places equal emphasis onimprovisation. Happy Apple plays a brand ofjazz music drawing on several othergenres; the group's members play in other bands ranging fromindie rock andheavy metal tofree jazz andelectronic. The best known of these isThe Bad Plus, in which King also plays drums.
The name Happy Apple comes from aFisher-Price toy from the 1970s which King often uses as an auxiliarypercussion instrument.
Reviewing the group's 2003 albumYouth Oriented,CMJ New Music Report said that "Happy Apple has an edgy appeal, fueled by its elastic sense of rhythm and dynamics. The band can groove hard for extended stetches, playing with the singlemindedness of a rock group, or it can sit in one place, working on a freetime idea just as comfortably."[3]
- Blown Shockwaves & Crash Flow (Self-released, 1997)
- Part of the Solutionproblem (No Alternative, 1998)
- Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking (No Alternative, 1999)
- Jazzercise with the Elders/E Equals What I Says It Does/God Bless Certain Portions of the USA (Self-released, 2000)
- Please Refrain from Fronting (Self-released, 2001)
- Youth Oriented (Sunnyside, 2003)
- The Peace Between Our Companies (Sunnyside, 2004 Europe, 2005 North America)
- Happy Apple Back on Top (Sunnyside, 2007)
- New York CD (Self-released, 2020 (digital); Sunnyside, 2024 (CD))
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