Producer/bassist Cory Grindberg’s new jazz trio promises fast tempos, slap bass, quirkily beautiful melodies, unstructured improvisation, and a good time. City Cast Twin Cities host and lifetime music aficionado Sean McPherson opens and closes the evening from behind the decks.

Band Members:
Cory Grindberg - 4-String Bass
Jake Baldwin - Trumpet
Miguel Hurtado - Drums

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Cory Grindberg, aka Letmode, is a musician from Minneapolis. He started playing bass in high school, performing locally and participating in the Dakota Combo and MYJB. After studying jazz at Northwestern University, he made beats in Chicago alongside @daedaePIVOT, working with Saba, Lizzo (with GRRRL PARTY), P.O.S, student 1, Bobby Raps, and many more. He produced music for children's books (Cantata Learning), commercials (Blinker), and TV shows (Abbott Elementary, Desus and Mero). After deciding to abandon recorded music, Cory fled Los Angeles for Minneapolis and began composing for a jazz trio. Hired Goons was formed in early 2026.

Jake Baldwin is one of the busiest freelance trumpet players in the Midwest. You can hear him with groups ranging from the iconic Four Freshmen to the Minnesota Orchestra. In 2023, Jake won a Grammy for his contributions to the video game Assassin’s Creed: Ragnarok. His most recent release, Misc. Items on the Shifting Paradigm record label, was hailed by DownBeat magazine as one of their "Best Releases Of 2023."

Miguel Hurtado is a professional drummer and educator based in the Midwest. Born and raised in Minneapolis, MN, he started drumming at age 10 while attending Ramsey International Fine Arts Center. By age 14, he was playing gigs with youth jazz groups and local professional musicians. Hurtado attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he received a BFA in jazz performance. Since returning to the Twin Cities, he has established himself as an important member of the rich hip-hop, jazz, and experimental music scenes. His musical versatility has allowed him to collaborate with artists across many genres of music—including West African, Latin, funk, pop, and gospel—as well as collaborations in the visual arts. Hurtado can be seen playing at venues across the Midwest with such artists as Lady Midnight, the Ted Olsen Quartet, Your Smith, and the Minneapolis String Project.

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Sean McPherson is the host of City Cast Twin Cities. He was previously the afternoon host and music director at Jazz88. McPherson is the co-founder and bassist of Heiruspecs, a spectacular live hip-hop band with a national touring history. He served as Dessa’s bassist from 2009 to 2014. No stranger to college, McPherson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007 with an individualized degree in music, African-American studies, and cultural studies. The same year he graduated college, McPherson co-founded Trivia Mafia, now the largest trivia company in the Upper Midwest. He lives in St. Paul with his wife, children and dogs.