Dan Frankowski

Dan Frankowski is a thinker, novelty-seeker, trumpet player, and composer. He was raised in the Twin Cities, where his high school band (director Dennis Malmberg) and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) were early crucibles, with peers like Michael Bland (later drummer for Prince's New Power Generation) and Michael Sutton (violinist in the Minnesota Orchestra). At Oberlin College, he studied jazz playing with Donald Byrd (the trumpeter), Kenny Davis, and Jack Wilkins, and jazz composition with Wendall Logan. At the University of Minnesota, he studied jazz with Ron McCurdy, which included master classes by Slide Hampton, Joshua Redman, Hal Galper, Terrel Stafford, and Wynton Marsalis. He played the solo chair in the pit orchestra of the nationally acclaimed touring production of "A Harlem Nutcracker" by Donald Byrd (the choreographer), music director David Berger. Dan has played with big bands including the Nova Jazz Orchestra, Twin Cities Jazz Orchestra, John Ahern Big Band, and Cedar Avenue Big Band. He has played with Steeling Dan, a 13-piece Steely Dan tribute band and the large version of Terramara, an original pop band. He has played and recorded his compositions in 3 other groups: the Minnesota Postsecondary Jazz Sextet (postbop), the Dynamic Duo (guitar and trumpet), and anton and dan (an experimental horn duo). He lent jazz great Freddie Hubbard his trumpet to play at Qwest (no joke).

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