Home » Member Page
Dan Frankowski
Trumpet player and composer
About Me
Dan has produced or co-produced four albums:
- thought versus emotion (http://cdbaby.com/frankhouse) by Frankhouse. Jazz for
people not afraid of attitude. The sounds range from rollicking to thoughtful to
soulful to experimental. Mostly original, covers of Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell.
Trumpet, sax, electric guitar, bass, drums, brains.
- the dynamic duo (http://cdbaby.com/dynamicduo) by the dynamic duo. Trumpet
and guitar. Original jazz, intimate and playful.
- fuselage in the rumpus room (http://cdbaby.com/antonanddan) by anton and
dan. Crazy jazz by two horn players. “Walk Like An Egyptian” like you've never heard
it before.
- twin cities suite (http://cdbaby.com/mpjs) by the Minnesota Postsecondary Jazz
Sextet. This is a virtuostic jazz sextet with all-original music.
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.