Harmen Fraanje
Dutch jazz pianist Harmen Fraanje plays in several groups of his own in addition to working as a sideman for numerous other musicians. His style -- light, warm, involving, and strongly influenced by his classical background -- expertly balances playfulness with gravitas.
Fraanje was born in Roosendaal in 1976 into a music-loving family and began to take piano lessons at the age of eight. At 16 he discovered jazz, drawn to it by his own love of improvising. He studied jazz piano and improvised music at Tilburg and Utrecht conservatories, where he was invited to play in the groups of trumpeter Eric Vloeimans and saxophonist Mete Erker. His debut album as a leader was 2004's Sonatala on Challenge, with guitarist Nelson Veras, drummer Matthieu Chazarenc, and bassist Hein van de Geyn. The same formation (with the addition of flautist Magic Malik) recorded 2006's Ronja. 2010's Avalonia saw Fraanje form a new trio with bassist Clemens van der Feen and drummer Flin van Hemmen, and featured saxophonist Michael Moore. Fraanje went on to record three albums with Moore's own quartet. His trio with cellist Ernst Reijseger and Senegalese vocalist/percussionist Mola Sylla recorded two albums for Winter & Winter, 2013's Down Deep and 2015's Count 'til Zen. Fraanje was also part of bassist Mats Eilertsen's trio with drummer Thomas Strønen, which recorded two albums for Hubro, 2010's Elegy and 2013's Sails Set. Having made his ECM debut in 2016 with Eilertsen's Rubicon ensemble, he recorded again for the label in 2019 with the bassist's trio on And Then Comes the Night. Fraanje's style is influenced by Ligeti, Messiaen, and Bach, as well as ethnic musics from around the world.
© John D. Buchanan /TiVo
Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Touch of Time
Arve Henriksen, Harmen Fraanje
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Jan 26, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
And Then Comes The Night
Mats Eilertsen, Harmen Fraanje, Thomas Strønen
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Feb 1, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Music for a Film by Werner Herzog)
Ernst Reijseger, Harmen Fraanje, Sean Bergin, Netherlands Chamber Choir
Classical - Released by Spring Music on Jul 15, 2011
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
We Were There
Ernst Reijseger, Harmen Fraanje, Mola Sylla
World - Released by Just Listen Records on Oct 9, 2020
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Down Deep
Ernst Reijseger, Harmen Fraanje, Mola Sylla
Jazz - Released by Spring Music on Feb 1, 2013
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Komorebi
Aino Peltomaa, Harmen Fraanje, Mikko Perkola
Classical - Released by Fuga Libera on May 26, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Count Till Zen
Ernst Reijseger, Harmen Fraanje, Mola Sylla
Jazz - Released by Spring Music on Feb 27, 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
And Then Comes The Night
Mats Eilertsen, Harmen Fraanje, Thomas Strønen
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Feb 1, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Touch of Time
Arve Henriksen, Harmen Fraanje
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Jan 26, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albatross
Mats Eilertsen, Harmen Fraanje, Thomas Strønen
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Jan 4, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Road
Harmen Fraanje, Brice Soniano, Toma Gouband
Pop - Released by astropi on Feb 4, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tomahawk Math and Spirit
Toma Gouband, Brice Soniano, Harmen Fraanje
Contemporary Jazz - Released by astropi on Jun 16, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nostre Dame
Harmen Fraanje, Brice Soniano, Toma Gouband
Contemporary Jazz - Released by astropi on Oct 30, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo