Bassist Ted Olsen is Berlin’s artist in residence on Sundays this August. For this first installment of his residency, Olsen’s quartet will revisit repertoire from their debut album, “Joyfire” (Shifting Paradigm, 2017). “Joyfire” features Olsen’s original compositions and was praised by the “Star Tribune” for its “sprawling yet cohesive songcraft.”

Band Members:
Ted Olsen - Bass
Aaron Hedenstrom - Saxophone
Miguel Hurtado - Drums
TBA - Piano

Ted Olsen is a double bassist from Minneapolis, MN, with extensive experience as a performer and composer. He has been fortunate enough to share the stage with many stellar musicians, including Michael Cain, Dayna Stephens, Javier Santiago, John Raymond, Tim Sparks, Dean Magraw, Aby Wolf, Eric Mayson, and Steve Kenny. Olsen’s original music is steeped in jazz yet forward-looking and accessible, creating bright moments of melody and harmonic color while allowing for spontaneous interplay. His 2017 debut garnered praise from the “Minnesota Star Tribune”: “The sprawling yet cohesive songcraft on Ted Olsen's new album, ‘Joyfire,’ attests to why he won an American Composers Forum award five years ago and followed it up as a finalist for the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Awards in 2015.”

Saxophonist Aaron Hedenstrom has been composing, arranging, and performing music professionally for over a decade. He has performed at top-tier U.S. jazz venues including Birdland, the Dakota Jazz Club, Snug Harbor, the Next Generation Jazz Festival, and Scat Jazz Lounge. Aaron has received many awards for his compositions and arrangements, including the Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, the Detroit Jazz Festival Composition Contest, DownBeat Awards, the Jazz Education Network Student Composer Showcase, and the BMI Foundation Future Jazz Master scholarship.

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. Miguel 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. Miguel 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.