Swedish drummer KONRAD AGNAS makes his debut as composer and bandleader with his recent release of RITE OF PASSAGE. Here Konrad unites collagelike compositions of hip-hop fantasias and spiritual jazz a lá Alice Coltrane with a framework inspired by the minimalism of Terry Riley and Moondogs. With equal parts precision and feeling, the compositions are inter-woven by his innovative and distinct drumming style. Konrad has alongside him some of his closest collaborators and widely celebrated jazz musicians Per Texas Johansson (saxophone, clarinet, flute), Torbjörn Zetterberg (bass) and Johan Graden (piano and organ) has developed their very own music based on an almost telepathic approach to interaction, improvisation, and composition. - Visit edmontonjazz.com for more about the Edmonton International Jazz Festival. Support for the Edmonton International Jazz Festival is provided by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment.