NO COVER

Phil Aaron:

Pianist Phil Aaron is a Chicago native who studied music at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Illinois. After ten years in LA, he moved to Minneapolis in 1989, becoming fully immersed in the local jazz scene, and hosting a long-running trio gig at the Hotel Sofitel. By day, Phil works as a composer of film and television scores winning an Emmy in 2007 for his scoring work on the PBS animated series, “Auto-B-Good.” As a performing jazz artist, Phil has shared the stage with Lee Konitz, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, Jim Snidero, Byron Stripling, Barbara Morrison and Jackie Allen, among others, and has provided piano accompaniment to many local jazz singers and ensembles. An active recording artist as sideman and on five CDs of his own, Phil plays regularly with his own trio, Lucia Newell, the Phil Hey Quartet, Batunde Lea, Joyce Lyons and more. Drawing inspiration from Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan, and Keith Jarrett, he “can swing hard or wax romantic at the keyboard” -Minneapolis Star Tribune

My name is Phil Aaron. I'm an emmy-winning composer and musician based in Minneapolis, MN. As co-owner of Aaron | Stokes Music + Sound, I've spent the last 18 years composing for film, television and advertising. While my days are devoted to composing, you can find me on many nights and weekends playing jazz piano at the best jazz clubs in the Twin Cities.

I love to compose for moving pictures. I love to play jazz. This is what I do.

Graydon Peterson:

Graydon Peterson is one of the backbones of the jazz scene in the Twin Cities. Known as a guy who excels at many styles, Graydon has played with the Twin Cities’ top jazz singers and modern jazz groups, and has toured around the United States. He’s a top-call player who up until now, has been content hanging out in the shadows. Well, Graydon grabbed the pen and paper and what emerged were weird time signatures, beautiful melodies and hard grooves. Graydon’s tunes evoke a wide variety of emotions and energies, stretching what we know as “modern jazz” to it’s limit. The Quartet is rounded out by Adam Meckler on trumpet, Joe Strachan on keyboards and Adrian Suarez on drums.