The European Quintet is a brandnew formation of young european Jazz musicians that got to  know each other in Juli 2021 at the IASJ in Munich. The upcoming talents from Cologne, Paris, Antwerp and Luxembourg present original compositions as well as some of their favorite jazz standards.

Pierre Carbonneaux learns saxophone with Georges Porte at the age of 6. He develops a great love for Jazz and enters the cycle spécialisé jazz of the CRR in Paris to be taught by Jean-Charles Richard. In 2017 he gets to know Christian Vander and plays two concerts with Vander’s band MAGMA in the club Olympia, Paris. In 2019 he enters the Orchestre National de Jazz de jeunes under the direction of François Jeanneau and begins his studies at the Conservatoire national supérieur (CNSMDP).

Paul Prassel was born in Cologne in 1996. After school he went to Osnabrück to begin his jazz guitar studies before returning to his hometown where he is studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln at the moment. There he startet putting time and effort into composing his own music. Pauk plays in various bands as a sideman, is member of the JugendJazzOrchester NRW an leads his own trio.

Leon Hattori, born in Sapporo in 1998, Japan, began playing the piano at the age of 5. He grew up in Japan, Germany and New Zealand. In New Zealand he took lessons from the jazz-pianists Dr. Mark Baynes and Jonathan Crayford and won several prices at the National Youth Jazz Competition for his skills in piano-playing and for his compositions. Since October 2018 he is studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln under Jürgen Friedrich, Florian Ross and Hubert Nuss. Since Ferbruary 2020 he is a member of the Bundesjazzorchester. Wolf De Backer is an all-round double bass player with a predilection for jazz. At the age of eight he starts his musical adventure at the music school of Schoten (Belgium), where he is taught by Ben Faes. In 2019 he obtained his bachelor’s degree at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.

There he is taught by Janos Bruneel, Clemens van der Feen and Gulli Gudmundsson. Today Wolf is following a master’s degree at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, where he is taught by Nicolas Thys. Wolf performs in De Hopper, De Muze, Bozart, Koningin Elisabethzaal. He also has experience as a studio musician with Jo Cassiers, among others.

Mathieu Clement, born in 2001, begins his musical journey at the age of 7 with the drums. After his classical percussion and jazz studies at the Conservatoire du Nord of Luxembourg he becomes a junior student under Michael Küttner at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln where he also starts his Bachelor in 2020. The same year he wins the first price of the ’Jugend Jazzt! NRW’ competition and in 2021 he becomes a member of the JugendJazzOrchester NRW.

Besides being a jazz musician, Mathieu has had the chance to gain classical experience with orchestras like OPL, Solistes Européens and OCL.