Happy Apple
Encyclopedia
Happy Apple is an American jazz
trio.
Formed in 1996 in Minneapolis, members of the band are David King
(drums
), Michael Lewis
(saxophone
) and Erik Fratzke (electric bass
).
All three members compose music for the group, 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 seventies, which King often uses as an auxiliary percussion instrument
.
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trio.
Formed in 1996 in Minneapolis, members of the band are David King
David King (musician)
David King is a drummer/ composer from Minneapolis. He is best known for being a founding member of the jazz groups The Bad Plus and Happy Apple although he is active in many other projects including free jazz collective Buffalo Collision with NYC "Downtown" legends Tim Berne and Hank Roberts and...
(drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis (musician)
Mike Lewis is a Minnesota saxophonist and bassist. He is currently playing saxophone in Fat Kid Wednesdays and Happy Apple.Lewis also plays electric bass in Alpha Consumer and Red Start. He has also contributed to other projects, such as Dosh's 2006 LP The Lost Take, 2008's Wolves and Wishes, and...
(saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
) and Erik Fratzke (electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
).
All three members compose music for the group, which places equal emphasis on improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
. Happy Apple plays a brand of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music drawing on several other genres
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
; the group's members play in other bands ranging from indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
to free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
and electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. The best known of these is The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus are a jazz trio from the United States, consisting of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King, originating from Minneapolis, MN.-History:...
, in which King also plays drums.
The name Happy Apple comes from a Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...
toy from the seventies, which King often uses as an auxiliary percussion instrument
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
.
Discography
- Blown Shockwaves & Crash Flow (1997) with Cully Swansen on upright bass and Anton Denner on saxophone and flute
- Part of the Solutionproblem (1998) with Bill Carrothers on Rhodes pianoRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
and Greg Lewis on pocket trumpet - Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking (1999)
- Jazzercise with the Elders, E=What I Says It Does, God Bless Certain Portions Of The USA (Limited Edition Live Compilations) (2000)
- Please Refrain From Fronting (2001)
- Youth OrientedYouth OrientedYouth Oriented is an album by the jazz trio known as Happy Apple. It features Dave King on drums, Michael Lewis on sax and Erik Fratzke on bass guitar...
(2003) - The Peace Between Our Companies (2005)
- Happy Apple Back on Top (2007)
Happy Apple Back on Top (2007)
During an interview with David King's father at the release party concert (Artist's Quarter), Pops King, as he is called, revealed that the pink points at the bottom of the album art are mountains drawn by David King's daughter. He also revealed that the man surrounded by wings in the background is a self-portrait by Matt Friesen from the band Halloween, AlaskaHalloween, Alaska
Halloween, Alaska is a Minnesota-based band consisting of James Diers , Jake Hanson , Bill Shaw , and David King . All of the group's members live in the Twin Cities. Original keyboardist and programmer Ev left the band in 2008...
.