JoAnn Funk

About JoAnn 

Minnesota's JoAnn Funk received a classical piano performance (and biology) degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She then began a serious study of jazz, studying with noted jazz pianist David Hazeltine and soaking up as much knowledge as she could from every musician she played with. As a pianist, her heroes are Red Garland, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Bach, Debussy and Nat King Cole, to name a few. 

She started her professional musical career performing for Norwegian Caribbean Lines as a show and jazz pianist. She relocated  to the Twin Cities, where  she established herself as a skilled pianist with an extensive repertoire, whether performing for long term solo gigs or with her trio. 

Singing came later in her career, when she realized it was the way to truly express the meaning of a song. Although she takes inspiration from Diana Krall and Blossom Dearie, her warm smokey style is uniquely her own. 

JoAnn is known for her fresh arrangements of a wide variety of songs, many of them overlooked treasures. Any music is fair game - from ragtime to Leonard Cohen. “It just has to be a song that speaks to me,” she said. 

About the JoAnn Funk Trio

When she is performing with with the JoAnn Funk Trio, each arrangement highlights her piano and vocal skills as well as the formidable talents of her bassist/vocalist Jeff Brueske and drummer Nathan Norman. After 20 years performing and recording together, this trio plays with the ease of old friends. There is a joy and mutual music respect between them that is palpable to the audience. They have performed for jazz festivals, concerts, and been featured at shows at The Artist Quarter (The Blossom Dearie Show), The Dakota, and Crooners in Minneapolis.

Their recent 2024 show at Minneapolis' Crooner's Dunsmore Jazz Room - “Just Getting Warmed Up”, played to a sold out room of dedicated, enthusiastic fans. 

The Saint Paul Hotel

JoAnn and Jeff established Jazz in The Lobby Bar at the Saint Paul Hotel, performing regularly for nine years, from 2007- 2016, where they developed a dedicated fan base  and expanded their duo repertoire, adding more  arrangements and  Jeff’s astonishing singing and harmonies.

American Cruise Lines

From 2012 to the present, JoAnn has been a featured performer for American Cruise Lines, traveling America’s rivers and performing about 50 solo shows onboard per year, as well as being an onboard guest speaker. In addition to being a skilled singer and pianist, she has the rare ability to capture the attention of an audience, using humor and stories.  She is often asked if she has an acting background.

Four CDs

JoAnn has recorded four CDs, the first “Holidays”, a collection of fresh arrangements of Christmas songs, which won a top 10 award from Just Plain Folks in the year of its release, “Solo Piano”, a perfect collection of solo piano favorites - from Bach to Ellington and "Pick Yourself Up" featuring JoAnn as a singer pianist with her trio, released to great reviews in April of 2011. Jazz in The Lobby Bar was released in 2015 and has received international airplay. Her music is available on this site and on most streaming services, such as itunes.