• Until today

    Many more gigs with fantastic musicians

    I got to perform with lots of great musicians such as Ben van Gelder, Philip Harper, Rick Margitza just to name a few. 

    I teach at the DJAM (ensembles and main subject guitar), a music school for jazz and improvised music in Amsterdam, at the music school Meer-Music in Hoofddorp and at Muziekschool Badhoevedorp.

  • 2007

    DUODUO

    A CD got produced, recorded and released by me and Andreas Metzler on double bass. We played years with lots of wonderful gigs in this small setup. 

    2007

  • 2005

    Bachelor of Music

    After my final exam, I never would have thought of leaving this city where jazz was so vibrant. I still needed to practice my guitar and be part of the professional scene. Soon I played gigs, started teaching the guitar and kept on learning.

  • 2000

    Conservatory of Amsterdam

    Torsten de Winkel told me to check out the “Berklee meets Europe” Workshop in NRW (north west of Germany), to try to receive an scholarship. On the nightly jamsessions I heard great musicians playing. There all studied jazz in the Netherlands. A talented guitarist told me, that the conservatory of Amsterdam is the most popular conservatory in Europe for jazz-guitar at the moment. 

    Soon later I did try the entrance exam in Amsterdam and was told to be approved one week later. 

    It was unbelievable, what was going on in these few years. My English was more than rusty and my dutch non-existent. Lots of cool jazz minded people from all over the world studied there with me. All of them open minded guys like me. There was lots of great live jazz, both good teachers and players, lots of jamsessions. Lots of fantastic workshops with jazz heros like Mike Stern, Pat Martino, Peter Bernstein, Kurt Rosenwinkel and many more. 

    2000

  • 1998

    BFS Musik Krumbach

    A local music-shop owner told me that there is a two year program at a vocational college for music (in the middle of nowhere) where I could study jazz-guitar with New York Jazz Guerrilla Torsten de Winkel. 

    It was a rather small school on the countryside dominated by mostly classical musicians. I tried the entrance exam and was told to be approved.

    Amongst ear-training, classical and modern harmony theory, classical piano lessons, methodology, music history, singing lessons, band coaching and choir conducting (a.m.o.) we learned to get up early and be on time. 

  • 1997

    My first serious gig

    My first paid commercial gig as a jazz-guitarist. With Manfred Schuirer’s (RIP) Quartet “Swing 4 Fun” in Bad Salzuflen, Germany. Jazz-guitarist Didi Liehr thought of me and asked me to sub for him. 

    1997

  • 1996

    First jamsessions

    I went to see jazz-concerts and jammed  a lot on local jazz-sessions. I played together with other jazz guitarists of that time. Guitar teacher Buddy came up with a new band project with 4 guitarists – called “Swinging Guitars” where I got featured a lot as soloist. Thanks Bud!

    Although back then I felt like an alien, the dream of studying jazz-guitar and making a living as a musician was growing bigger and bigger. Even though an awful lot of people told me not to, I insisted and did go for it. Luckily my parents believed in me. 

  • 1995

    Years of devotion

    Now I was absolutely drawn to improvisation, jazz harmony and all the jazz-standards I could possibly learn. I practised/played a lot and listened to the masters like Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel and Jim Hall. Later I enjoyed the music of John Scofield, Pat Metheney and lots of other great jazz artists. 

    1995

  • 1991

    Private guitar-lessons

    I played my guitar quite a lot and someday my brother asked me, why I’m not taking lessongs for a change. He was having drum lessons at the time and recommended the music school “Musik Werkstatt Augsburg”

    With my 14 years, I started having guitar-lessons from Buddy Brudzinski in classical guitar. Because I had a difficult time with sight-reading the sheet-music he helped me learn the classical pieces via singing/playing along. He almost gave up on me, until we came across Django Reinhardt.

  • 1987

    Started playing acoustic guitar self-taught

    Back then, my dad bought me a little nylonstring guitar for Christmas. I found my first chords on it (my dad was helping me a little) and strummed the heck out of it. 

    1987

  • 1977

    Born in Augsburg, Germany

    Florian was born into a musical family. His parents worked both as schoolteachers. His father was also a deserving church-musician (he led the choir, sang and played the organ/piano) during the church services. Both of his brothers learned an instrument.