August 6, 2004, (Minneapolis, MN) - The Chris Graham Trio, a group whose members recently graduated from high school, will give its final performance at The Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, on Sunday, August 15, from 4:00 - 5:00 PM. The group consists of Chris Graham, 17, on guitar, Sam Westley, 18, on piano, and Brian Hawthorne, 19, on bass. Chris will be a senior at St. Paul Central this school year. Sam graduated from South High, and Brian graduated from Southwest High. Both Sam and Brian will both be moving to New York this fall to attend the Manhattan School of Music.

The group performs Graham's original compositions as well as standards and tunes by contemporary jazz artists. For this performance, Graham said, "The plan is to move towards some more challenging material."

The trio's performance is part of a series called J-Train at the Dakota, which features young musicians from area schools and are free events open to jazz lovers of all ages. J-Train at the Dakota Performances are sponsored by The Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education. Funds are provided by COMPAS: Community Programs in the Arts, through a grant from the McKnight Foundation.