Mike Conrad, Associate Professor of Jazz Studies & Music Education at the University of Northern Iowa, brings his jazz trio to the Cedar Basin Music Festival to celebrate the release of the group’s second album, Pretzel Letters. Conrad’s compositions have earned him four ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards, a SONIC Award from the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers, the 2023 Sammy Nestico Award, and many other accolades. This newest project is made up of pieces inspired by his family and memories from a childhood growing up in the Midwest. As a pianist he performs regionally with Chris Merz’s ‘Shorter Stories,’ the Jon Ailabouni Quintet, Jackson Churchill’s ‘Good Question,’ and the Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra, an ensemble he founded in 2019.
Conrad is joined by Chicago bassist/vocalist Katie Ernst, an active touring musician (Iron & Wine, Light Verse Tour; Shadowlands, John Raymond & S. Carey), an accomplished bandleader (Twin Talk), and in-demand collaborator in the jazz and improvised music communities of Chicago and surrounding areas.
Rounding out the band is Cassius Goens III, a drummer from Indianapolis who has toured throughout the Midwest, New York, Brazil, and Europe where he performed at the Montreux, Vienne, and Perugia Jazz Festivals.
The Mike Conrad Trio has performed throughout the Midwest, including appearances at the Iowa City Jazz Festival in 2022 and 2025, and a Jazz Road Tours grant which took them to venues across Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa in 2023. In this dynamic group, the unique musical personality of each player shines through while somehow simultaneously uniting to create a cohesive and exciting sound. Conrad’s tunes are engaging and well-crafted with tons of space for improvisation, interaction, and expression.
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