Body Popping - Moon Walking - Top Rocking

Approfondimenti

A Happy Apple is one of those strange children's toys that has a fascination that's hard to explain. It's a heavy, red plastic apple with a smiley face on the outside, ballast in the bottom to keep it standing up, and a slightly muffled chime buried deep in its center so that it can withstand the series of drops, kicks, and smashes to which it is inevitably subjected by its owners. As it turns out, the parallels between this band and its namesake are just too fun to ignore. Happy Apple is a Minneapolis-based saxophone/bass/drums trio that works in an ostensibly free vein, but somehow manages to keep just enough structure in place to make things interesting. Like its namesake, this band has a tough exterior but there's certain chiming prettiness buried deeply within; they also have a smiley face painted clearly on their outside. "The Barstow Sizzler" is free-ish, yet vaguely modal -- a sort of "Ornette in Algiers" sound. "Marvin Says" features an angular, barely tonal yet harmonically purposeful head which segues immediately into a very nifty bass solo. "Where Does a Stranger Go on Christmas Eve?" is contemplative and pretty and features the most attractive bassline of the program. But best of all is "Wishing Book," a loping composition in 15/8 time on which drummer David King tries out every sound and timbre extractable from his kit. Highly recommended.
© Rick Anderson /TiVo