NO COVER 4:30pm Show
The Mike Conrad Trio will be making their Minneapolis debut with two sets of jazz standards and originals. Conrad’s tunes are engaging and well-crafted with tons of space for improvisation, interaction, and expression.
Band Members:
Mike Conrad - Piano
Dan Carpel - Bass
Pete James Johnson - Drums
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Mike Conrad is a composer and improviser currently serving as Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. His compositions have earned him four ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards, a SONIC Award from ISJAC, the 2023 Sammy Nestico Award, and many other accolades. His wide-ranging creative projects include the All Angles Orchestra (New Angle), collaborations with the Berlin-based symphony orchestra collective Stegreif (Escape Valse, Free Eroica), the Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra (Our Harvest, Fertile Soil Suite), and two jazz trio albums of original music (Reconnect and Pretzel Letters). He is in high demand as a jazz pianist and as a clinician and guest director for jazz ensembles all over the country.
Dan Carpel attended Berklee College of Music, where he was in the school’s Monterey Quartet. He was a member of Jason Palmer’s band throughout his time in town, and was a mainstay in their residency at Wally’s Jazz Cafe. His time out east also notably included playing in groups led by Godwin Louis, Noah Preminger, and Melissa Aldana. Since relocating to the Twin Cities, Carpel has regularly worked with Javi Santiago, Zacc Harris, and Abinnet Berhanu. He frequently performed with singer/guitarist Mary Cutrufello as well as Sonny Knight and the Lakers, and he recently became a part of Dylan Hicks’s Small Screens.
Pete James Johnson is a drummer, composer and educator in the Twin Cities—most often seen playing jazz and improvised music but at home in a variety of musical worlds. He has performed with local artists including the Zacc Harris Group, Bryan Nichols, Javier Santiago, Omar Abdulkarim, Dosh, Michael Cain, Chris Bates’ Red 5, Will Kjeer, Andrew Walesch, Nooky Jones, Adam Meckler, Aaron Hedenstrom, JazzMN Orchestra, Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Adam Bohanan.
