Happy Apple

Happy Apple is an American jazz trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Happy Apple
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota
GenresJazz
Years active1996–present
LabelsSunnyside
Members
Past members
  • Anton Denner
  • Cully Swansen
Websitewww.happyapplemusic.com
Part of the Solutionproblem
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Please Refrain from Fronting
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Youth Oriented
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Peace Between Our Companies
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Initially formed in 1996 by David 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 on improvisation. Happy Apple plays a brand of jazz music drawing on several other genres; 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.

The name Happy Apple comes from a Fisher-Price toy from the 1970s which King often uses as an auxiliary percussion instrument.

Critical reception

Reviewing the group's 2003 album Youth 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]

Discography

Studio albums
  • Blown Shockwaves & Crash Flow (Self-released, 1997)
  • Part of the Solutionproblem (No Alternative, 1998)
  • Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking (No Alternative, 1999)
  • 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)

Live albums
  • Jazzercise with the Elders/E Equals What I Says It Does/God Bless Certain Portions of the USA (Self-released, 2000)

References
  1. Leggett, Steve. "Happy Apple - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  2. DiPietro, Phil. "What Part of the Solution Problem Don't You Understand? Happy Apple bassman Erik Fratzke Refrains From Fronting". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  3. "Happy Apple, Youth Oriented". CMJ New Music Report. No. 729. CMJ Network, Inc. 2003-01-20. p. 28. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
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