Quick Facts
Biography
Joel Frahm (born 1970) is an American jazz saxophonist.
Early life
Frahm was born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1970. He attended the Stephen Bull Fine Arts School, where he began playing the tenor saxophone. At the age of 15 he and his family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, where he attended William H. Hall High School. He met pianist Brad Mehldau at school, and the two had weekly gigs locally. "After leaving high school in 1988, Frahm attended Rutgers University for a year before transferring to The Manhattan School of Music, and following graduation with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Performance he entered Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead workshop."
Frahm lists saxophonists John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Chris Potter as influences.
Later life and career
His debut recording as a leader was Sorry, No Decaf, for Palmetto Records, in 1998. A 2001 recording, Don't Explain, was a series of duets with Mehldau.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
- Sorry, No Decaf (Palmetto, 1998)
- The Navigator (Palmetto, 2000)
- Don't Explain (Palmetto, 2001)
- We Used to Dance (Anzic, 2005)
- With Bruce Katz, Project A. (Anzic, 2009)
- Caminhos Cruzados (Venus, 2010)
- Live at Smalls (Smallslive, 2011)
- With Pavel Wlosok Trio, Czechmate (New Port Line, 2013)
- With Johannes Mössinger, New by Two (Unit, 2017)
As sideman
- With Brad Mehldau, Finding Gabriel (Nonesuch, 2019)
