Jeanfrancois Prins

Jeanfrancois Prins Jazz Guitarist Composer Arranger Educator

“ A real voice on the guitar with a warmth that’s all his own” Joe Lovano “...there can be no doubt that this truly creative and musical young man will continue to be heard from. But don’t wait for his next record - catch him live!” Dan Morgenstern “Jeanfrançois Prins plays directly from the heart…” FRED HERSCH “There is a great Jazz Guitar tradition in Belgium, represented successively by Django Reinhardt, René Thomas, Toots Thielemans, Philip Catherine, and now by Jeanfrançois Prins.” KNACK – DE MORGEN

Jeanfrançois Prins has become Belgium's most international jazz guitarist (he spent most of his career between New York City and Berlin, until recently moving back to his roots: Brussels, and has performed and recorded all over Europe, the U.S., Latin America and Asia). His music is poetic and passionate. One can hear him in a large variety of styles, from solo to big-band with orchestra. He enjoys risk-taking improvisation and organic interaction. His lyrical fusion of romance and hard-swinging guitar is influenced by his encounters with World Music, Latin Jazz, French Chanson, Contemporary Classical music, Avant-Garde and Pop.

Son of record-store owners, grand-son of a jazz producer (Django Reinhard recordings in 1942 among many others), Jeanfrançois Prins has spent his adult life as a professional musician, composer, arranger and producer; performing, recording and collaborating with many of today’s Jazz giants. He has been teaching private instrument lessons and classes in Berlin’s Music Universities, where he lead the Jazz Guitar Departments for over a decade, and at the ARTEZ Jazz University in Enschede, Holland for a year. He gives workshops and master-classes internationally, communicating with enthusiasm his passion for this expansive music to the next generations of players.

Jeanfrançois has several current projects as a leader. His “Rio de Jazzeiro” is his love declaration to Brazilian music. “All Strings Attached” features his trio plus a classical string quartet, performing his original compositions and arrangements. “Colliding Universes” is a 6tet which features 2 tenor saxophones, a fluegelhorn, bass and drums. “Blade Runner” features his arrangements and compositions in the thrilling atmosphere of a “film noir” of the 21st century, with cello and a groovy quartet with rhodes and electronics. Other personal projects include “Road Movie”, and “Wayne, Monk, & moi”. He also co-leads a 4tet with american saxophonist Andy Middleton, as well as a Belgian All Stars quintet “Tribute to Miles Davis” with trumpeter Richard Rousselet. Jeanfrançois is very much in demand as a guest soloist, and is the musical director for several projects as well.

His sixth CD as a leader “El Gaucho”, featuring his trio with Joris Teepe on bass and Victor Lewis on drums, plus guest Rich Perry on tenor saxophone was released internationally on Challenge Records in 2012. He has toured Europe in late 2014, and early 2015 with saxophonist Ulli Jünemann’s NYC quartet feat. master bassist Jay Anderson, and drummers extraordinaire Adam Nussbaum and Gene Jackson.

Jeanfrançois has released 6 CDs as a leader. One can hear him as a guest soloist or sideman on more than 50 other CDs.

Jeanfrançois Prins’ compositions are often performed and recorded, not only by his own bands, but by several other European and American musicians. Jeanfrançois also writes original music for movie soundtracks as well as television (for example for the Discovery Channel in 2000, and the short- film “Coriolis” in 2008).

In 2015, Jeanfrançois was commissioned by O’Celli, a belgian cello octet to compose, arrange, and then perform several pieces with them.

As a guitarist, Jeanfrançois Prins has performed/recorded as a leader and/or as a sideman with such artists as Toots Thielemans, Lee Konitz, Judy Niemack, Kenny Wheeler, Bud Shank, Lew Tabackin, Gary Bartz, Jaleel Shaw, Andy Middleton, Gary Foster, John Ruocco, Bill Evans, Julian Priester, Jiggs Whigham, Randy Brecker, Gerard Presencer, Tim Hagans, Till Brönner, Jim Mc Neely, Kirk Lightsey, Dan Haerle, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Michel Herr, Walter Norris, Mal Waldron, Bruce Barth, Stephen Scott, Danny Grissett, Kelvin Sholar, Alan Broadbent, Dan Tepfer, Jasper Soffers, Mike Richmond, Eddie Gomez, Putter Smith, Jay Anderson, Scott Colley, Rufus Reid, Ingmar Heller, Hein Van de Geyn, Ricardo del Fra, John Goldsby, Ratzo Harris, Cameron Brown, Steve Rodby, Bart Denolf, Bruno Castellucci, Steve Davis, Adam Nussbaum, Joe La Barbera, Jerry Granelli, Billy Hart, Victor Lewis, John Betsch, Al “Tootie” Heath, Eric Vaughn, Gene Jackson, John Riley, Café, Luis Ribeiro, Pandit Sankha Chatterjee, Quincy Jones, Peter Herbolzheimer, Jay Clayton, Sheila Jordan, Norma Winstone, Darmon Meader, Theo Bleckmann, Bob Dorrough, Janice Borla, Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay, Erwin Schrott, Beethova Obas, Lisa Werlinder, Ivan Lins, the New York Voices, Patti Austin, … in Europe, the U.S.A., Asia and South America.

Jeanfrançois Prins is featured in the book “The Great Jazz Guitarists – The Ultimate Guide” (Scott Yanow © 2013)

Jeanfrancois Prins has been featured on TV internationally, both in interviews and performing. In 1994, he was an actor and musician in the Belgian movie “Just Friends”, which won several prizes and was nominated for an Oscar in the United States as “Best Foreign Film”. In early 1999, the Belgian television (RTBF) produced a special documentary feature about his international career, both as a musician and an educator. “Brussels - Berlin - New York - Jeanfrancois Prins” was also aired on the worldwide French languagechannel TV5 in the summer of 1999.

Being a sound engineer and knowledgeable about the record industry, Jeanfrançois Prins has always had a producer’s approach to his projects. He produced and arranged Mary Kay’s CD, “Make Someone Happy”, featuring Toots Thielemans. He co-produced three CDs for Judy Niemack, Richard Rousselet’s CD “Waitin’ For You”, and Sören Fischer’s CD “Don’t Change Your Hair For Me”. He produced and arranged Judy Niemack’s CD “About Time” (featuring himself on guitar, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Lee Konitz on saxophone among others) (SONY JAZZ), and her CDs "Blue Nights" (featuring himself on guitar, Jim McNeely on piano, Dennis Irwin on bass, Victor Lewis on drums, Gary Bartz on saxophone, and Don Sickler on trumpet), and "In the Sundance" (featuring himself on guitar, Bruce Barth on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Bruno Castellucci on drums) (BLUJAZZ RECORDS). He has produced piano virtuoso Walter Norris' last CD "Elements 'n Motion". He is also consulted by colleagues on questions of sequencing, editing and choice of “takes”.

Jeanfrançois Prins has recorded six CDs as a leader. The fourth one, “All Around Town”, was conceived as his own musical photo album of New York City. He recorded it in trio with bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Adam Nussbaum, plus saxophonist Lee Konitz as a guest. the fifth, “Light” (GAM 918), is co-led by drummer Steve Davis, in trio with bassist Larry Kohut. His latest release "El Gaucho" (Challenge Rec. 2012) features his trio with Joris Teepe on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums, plus Rich Perry as a guest on tenor sax.

Discography as a leader

- Jeanfrancois PRINS 5tet "N.Y. Stories" GAM Jam 911

- Jeanfrancois PRINS - Judy NIEMACK "Beauty and the Prince" GAM 916

- Lee KONITZ & Jeanfrancois PRINS Trio "Live" GAM 915

- Jeanfrancois PRINS “All Around Town” TCB 99402

- Steve Davis - Jeanfrançois PRINS “Light” GAM 918

- Jeanfrancois Prins "El Gaucho" CHALLENGE RECORDS

Selected discography as a sideman

- Mary KAY "Make Someone Happy" feat. Toots THIELEMANS GAM Jam 912

- Judy NIEMACK "Straight Up" FREELANCE FRL CD 018

- Richard ROUSSELET 5tet "Waitin' for You" GAM 913

- Lee KONITZ "Rhapsody" vol. 1 Paddle Wheel Records KICJ 174 "Rhapsody" vol. 2 Paddle Wheel Records KICJ 210

- Michel HERR "Just Friends" soundtrack AMC 50047

- Shigeko SUZUKI "Première" NOVUS BVCP-870 BMG JAPAN

- Judy NIEMACK “...Night and the Music...” FREELANCE FRL CD 026

- Sören FISCHER “Don’t Change Your Hair For Me” GLM EC 513-2

- R.I.A.S. Big Band + Guest Clark Terry “The Music of Duke Ellington” MONS MR 874 -306

- Judy Niemack “About Time” SONY JAZZ 509824-2

As an educator, Jeanfrançois Prins had an early start. Although he started playing music fairly late, he had a wide knowledge of the jazz tradition and the history of music in general because of being brought up in his parents’ record store, which specialised in Jazz and Classical music. As a child, he spent much of his free time listening to records and singing along with them, learning improvised solos by heart. He also started to play them for his friends, and even for adults, quizzing them in “blindfold tests”. By the time he reached adolescence, these listening sessions had become a sort of institution, and musicians and non-musicians alike attended them regularly.

When Jeanfrançois began playing guitar, around age 18, many musicians knew him already and they would often drop by and hang out in the back room of the record store, giving him musical advice. There Prins started a Saturday afternoon jam session which quickly became a weekly workshop. Some veterans like Hein van de Geyn, Philip Catherine, and Jean-Louis Rassinfosse were there, but also some new and inexperienced musicians. They worked on new tunes, chord progressions and interplay each week. For the young musicians, the sessions started earlier, just with Jeanfrançois, who taught them how to improvise, phrase with Jazz time feeling, develop a personal tone, listen to the others and react. He wasn’t only teaching how to play the guitar, but also taught improvisation for the saxophone, flute, piano, drums, trumpet, ... Prins’ method was always very interactive, and organic. “If you don’t hear something, don’t play it. Listen to many musicians playing the same compositions and compare. Teach yourself to hear the notes which, at first, sound foreign to you. Once you understand them in a natural, physical way, then you can incorporate them into your own vocabulary”. For several years, he had regular private students at home, both younger and older than him.

In the Winter of 1995, Jeanfrançois Prins was invited by the Jazz Faculty of the H.D.K. Berlin to audition as a guitar teacher. He was then hired as the new Jazz guitar teacher of the H.D.K.. There, he soon began teaching classes (Jazz History Class, Listening & Analysis, Transcription, …. and ensembles (Ellington, Monk, Guitar Ensemble). In all of these classes, some of which were his own creations, he brought a multimedia dimension, showing videos, playing CDs, and interacting directly with the students. Since the Summer semester of 1998, he has had a Guest Professorship at the H.D.K. for a couple of years. In the meantime, he was asked to audition as a guitar teacher at the HfM Hanns Eisler in Berlin, was accepted, and has been teaching Methodik/Lehrpraxis classes and private guitar lessons there. In 1999, he became the leader of the Jazz Guitar Department at the Hanns Eisler Music Conservatory.

In 2000, he joined the faculty of the BuJazzO (Bundes Jazz Orchester).

Jeanfrançois Prins considers teaching as a natural thing to do for a musician. He wants to share his knowledge and simultaneously learn from his students. That is the way that Jazz has evolved and will continue its evolution from one generation to the next. Show less